Fancy Footwork
by silver-footsteps
Summary: For Sakura, there's always been dreary days of schoolwork and unreliable people. Who knew a clumsy womanizer, an accidental pervert, a soft-hearted glutton, and an incredibly sexy virgin would light her life up like this? A friendship founded on dancing and the strange threat that tied them all together: "Fiji". AU
1. Arc 1: Junior: The Elder Uchiha

I'm so obsessed with the Akatsuki right now that it's probably unhealthy. I've played with the idea for an AkatasukixSakura fic for a while but I was afraid it would turn into the generic "Sakura is unappreciated so she turns to a group of criminals and finds unexpected love" thing.

But what if it was set in a high school with dancing? So I thought and wrote and pulled my hair and tried to put it aside. But every time I worked on Black Widow and the Sandman, these ideas would keep popping up until I thought I might cry. So, rather unexpectedly, this chapter was born.

Anyway, I will continue to update Black Widow and the Sandman weekly and this will be my side project until my other fic is finished. I hope everyone enjoys!

* * *

Fancy Footwork

Chapter 1: The Older Uchiha

"Hey, Sasuke, what are you looking at?" Shikamaru asked as he closed his laptop and gave his eyes time to rest. Ignoring his question, Uchiha Sasuke continued to stare out the window with an intense expression. When he followed his friend's gaze, he found himself staring at Yamanaka Ino bent over, tying her shoelace in the middle of P.E. He couldn't help the snort that left him.

"It's nice, right? Her ass," he drawled, finally pulling Sasuke from his thoughts. In response, Sasuke smirked.

"She's hot but loud. I don't think I could stand her talking all the time," Sasuke confessed with a shrug. Shikamaru joined his friend by the window, watching the girls run around in shorts. They began commenting about different body types and comparing who they liked best.

"Hinata-chan's nice. She's cute and she's got huge boobs. But can you imagine Hyuuga's face if we ever made a move on her?" Sasuke said. Shikamaru gave a nervous laugh as he remembered how angry the student council president, Neji, could get.

"Hey, isn't that Haruno-chan?" Sasuke pointed out as one girl went sprinting down the track. They both saw the pink hair shoot down the track until she finally reached the gym teacher waiting at the end. The teacher waved his arms around, obviously crying and cheering about "youth" as usual. She ignored him as she walked over to the big pine tree and collapsing in the shade. As she fanned herself with her hand, Hinata walked over with a water bottle.

"You know, she's got pretty small boobs," Sasuke observed, cocking his head to the side. Shikamaru copied him. As they watched, she stretched out her legs and stared up at the greenery above her head.

"Eh, I'd pass on that. She's boring," Shikamaru concluded as he turned back to his laptop.

Since it was too sunny to hang out at their usual spot on the roof, the two had decided to skip gym by hiding in the classroom. With central air conditioning, it wasn't a bad alternative to running around like idiots in the stiflingly hot air. Sasuke checked the clock. Finding that there were fifteen more minutes until the girls came back in to change, he leaned back in his chair and took a quick nap. He knew Shikamaru would wake him when it was time. True to his predictions, exactly ten minutes later, he was shook awake and dragged to the bathroom.

"Man, I haven't had a girlfriend in a few weeks. It's pretty lonely," Shikamaru sighed as they took their places at the urinals.

"That third year has been hanging all over you, Shikamaru," Sasuke retorted, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, but Temari-chan's brother's damn scary. It's that transfer kid in class 2-A," he explained with an earnest expression. Sasuke thought for a moment and then realized who the person was. A cringe left him as he washed his hands.

"That red-head? Oh man. He's a psycho."

"There you guys are!" Naruto boomed as he caught sight of the two exiting the bathroom. He clapped Shikamaru on the back… **hard**, earning a muttered insult and a glare. Ignoring the profanities thrown his way, Naruto began explaining in great detail how he had managed to escape detention from their homeroom teacher, Kakashi-sensei after he had been caught using the microwave reserved for teachers. Sasuke and Shikamaru burst into laughter as they imagined the blond cramming ramen into his mouth as he ran out of the teacher's lounge.

"Naruto, you're a moron," Sasuke sighed as he put an arm around his best friend and led him down the hall.

* * *

"Hey, Sakura-chan, you don't mind doing class attendance today, do you? I would but I've got a goukon* to go to," Ino said as she poked Sakura's shoulder. Sakura smiled as she accepted the thin black notebook.

"It's fine. I hope you guys have fun!" she said, waving her friend off. Ino thanked her before grabbing her bag and running off with her group of chatty friends. The classroom felt oddly silent without her blond friend.

In fact, Ino had been her friend since they had barely been able to walk. They had attended the same elementary and middle schools. Now, they were in the same homeroom in high school, but Ino had found other friends. She still talked to Sakura and they still took time to hang out, but things were slightly different. Even now, Sakura could feel the gap between them starting to grow. But she always pushed Ino along, telling her not to worry, smiling and pretending not to feel a little lonely.

Ino had been supporting her since they were children. She had fought off bullies, helped Sakura learn how to ride a bike and held her hand when Sakura had been rejected by the boy she had liked during their first year in middle school. It was time for Ino to bloom and Sakura felt happy just watching her friend smiling. But it seemed like she always ending up doing the class attendance at the end of the day.

Sakura sat at a desk by the window and began filling in the tiny squares beside each name. By the time she finished that and filled out some forms for a friend in the student council, the school had fallen eerily silent. There were only a few echoing shouts from the sports teams practicing in the gym downstairs or out on the track.

Sakura flexed her fingers after she had written the last few comments. Since there were no people around, she stood and stretched her legs, taking time to equally extend her tired muscles. She held her poses until her back let out a satisfying crack. Just as she lowered her foot to the ground, she heard a small noise behind the closed door. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest as the door slid open, revealing a tall man in a white shirt with rolled up sleeves and jeans.

"I'm looking for Uchiha Sasuke. Is he here?" he asked, running his hand through his long black hair. It didn't take long for Sakura to match their similarities together. Forgetting her embarrassment, she smiled.

"Are you Sasuke-kun's brother? Hold on. I think he's probably at basketball practice. I'll ask him," Sakura quickly said, her excited sentences bleeding into one another. She whipped out her cell phone, and punched in a quick message. The man watched with a faint curve in his lips.

"You are… close to Sasuke?" the man asked, noting the girl's excitement. Her smile faltered a little. It was easy to see that she was uncomfortable answering his question.

"We've been classmates since elementary school. I've got an answer," she said, flipping her phone open. Her smile twisted into a disapproving frown as she took in the curt text message. In her frustration, she forgot to add the customary cute smiley faces she always wrote out for him in her response.

"He said to stop bothering him and to bring you to the gym. What a jerk," Sakura said. She neatly stacked her papers on top of the attendance book and picked up her black school bag.

"I just have to drop these off at the office and then I'll take you to Sasuke," Sakura explained to the taller man. He nodded, moving away from the doorway so she could walk out of the classroom. Her long pink hair brushed past his nose as she passed, filling his nose with the smell of sweet shampoo. She was a proper high school girl: knee-length skirt, nails unpainted and face free of cosmetics. It was like a breath of fresh air after seeing so many girls with heavy make-up and skirts hiked up to show off indecent amounts of skin.

He fell in to step with her as she strode down the empty hallway. They did not speak when they reached the staff room. She poked in her head, laughed at something a teacher said and handed the attendance book over along with the forms she had neatly clipped together. The elderly principal patted her arm, commending her for her hard work. She made a little small talk before she excused herself and slid the door shut.

"I'm sorry that took so long," Sakura said as she finally escaped the teachers' chatter. The man shook his head.

"It's fine. Teachers were like that to me too," he replied with a little shrug. Sakura smiled as she took in his words. She suddenly stuck her hand out, her cheeks turning a little pink.

"Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Haruno Sakura," she said, feeling a little silly. To her surprise, the man shook her hand, chuckling.

"Uchiha Itachi. Or 'Sasuke-kun's brother' if you'd prefer."

Sakura turned bright red.

"Sorry," she mumbled as they began walking together. Itachi smiled.

"Are you the homeroom representative?" he suddenly asked. Sakura's steps faltered a little as she suddenly looked up at him.

"Um… no. Why do you ask?" she replied. Her bright green eyes stared at him with childish innocence and curiosity.

"Well, you were all alone doing attendance. I assumed that…" Itachi trailed off, worried that he might offend her by being too nosy. To his surprise, Sakura flashed a shy smile. Her right hand tightened around the handle of her briefcase, though, betraying a much stronger emotion that she was obviously trying to hide.

"A girl in my class is the homeroom rep. She tends to leave me a lot of the work though. I don't mind doing it," she explained as they walked down a flight of stairs. Itachi's eyes narrowed.

"Shouldn't she be doing her own job?" he said, irritated. The girl was smiling and letting everybody walk all over her. It was the exact opposite of how he acted. And it frustrated him that this obviously very nice girl was being taken advantage of.

"….It's okay. We're friends so I'm just doing her a favor," Sakura finally replied. Before Itachi could say anything else, they had arrived at the gym. Raised as a gentleman, Itachi held the door open for her. She looked extremely surprised, hesitating to go through the doorway.

"Oh… thank you… You're very polite, Uchiha-san," she said as she entered the gymnasium. The oddly matched pair stopped just outside the black lines drawn on the floor that marked the court. In the middle of court, Uchiha Sasuke stood, dribbling the ball. Sweat trickled down his face and neck as he swerved around his opponents and passed the ball to his teammate. Sneakers squeaked against the polished wood floor as they ran around blocking each other and grabbing the ball. Finally, Sasuke managed to shoot a basket with his signature precision and grace. The rest of the basketball team laughed and cheered him on. As the team manager ran over to hand him a clean towel, Sasuke looked up and caught sight of Sakura. She waved, her mouth curling up into an unsure smile.

"Sasuke-kun… I brought your brother," she said when he walked over. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he met his older brother's cool gaze. He was almost Itachi's height now but it irked him that the elder Uchiha still managed to act superior after several years.

Sensing the tension between siblings, Sakura cleared her throat. Two pairs of dark eyes focused on her.

"Uh… since I did what you asked, I'll be going now. I'll see you on Monday, Sasuke-kun," she said, trying her best to keep her smile in place, "And it was nice to meet you, Uchiha-san." She added the last part and gave a polite little bow to Itachi. His expression softened as he nodded his head in response. Sakura gave her long pink hair a nervous ruffle as she turned to leave.

"Hey, Haruno-chan, why don't you come hang out with us?" one of the members of the basketball club called out. Sakura rolled her eyes when she realized it was her childhood friend, Uzumaki Naruto talking.

"Bye, Naruto," she said in a firm voice as she walked out of the gym. Naruto gave a dejected little sigh and his friends gathered around him, patting his shoulders and urging him to laugh it off. That was probably the sixth time that week that Sakura had blatantly brushed off his little flirts. Of course, this had been going on since their first year in middle school together. Sasuke snorted at his best friend's plight. He couldn't sympathize, as someone who had girls practically crawling into his lap.

Sasuke glanced over at his brother and caught him with a strange half-smile on his face.

"That's the first time I've seen a girl not try to sexually assault you on sight," Itachi commented. Sasuke scowled.

"It's just Sakura. I went to kindergarten with her. So what?" Sasuke snapped.

"She's pretty cute," Itachi continued. For the first time, Sasuke couldn't find the words to express his shock. Instead, he made a noise of disagreement in the back of his throat. But Itachi, who had grown up with Sasuke, understood the meaning completely. Itachi shook his head.

"Seriously. A little grooming here and there and she'd be really beautiful. You watch. In a few years, she'll be going around breaking men's hearts and you'll be hitting yourself over the head," Itachi said, sounding a little too pedantic for Sasuke's liking.

"Nii-san, why are you here?" Sasuke finally snapped. Itachi poked his younger sibling in the forehead, his smile gone.

"Rude. Mom told me to come get you after school. She said since it's family night, there should be no skipping out on dinner to go karaoke with your friends," Itachi ordered.

Sasuke groaned.

And a block away from school, Sakura popped in her earphones and sang as she walked to the train station.

* * *

The next day was a warm, lazy Saturday. Sakura sat in her bed with the covers wrapped around her until she decided to get a little shopping done.

So, at a little past 9 am, Sakura stood on the platform, waiting for her train to pull up. She adjusted the collar of her white sweatshirt. It was the end of spring but the mornings were a little chilly. Out of habit, she pulled the sleeves over her hands. There was a loud screech as a train ground to a halt. But Sakura didn't move, even as a sea of people swarmed to the doors. Her train didn't arrive for another few minutes.

As the train sped up and disappeared down a tunnel, there was a loud shout. Everyone's eyes turned to the stairs leading down to the platform. After a moment, a young man with long blond hair tied into a messy ponytail ran down the steps, his right cheek bright red and his blue eyes frantic. He looked from stranger to stranger, silently pleading for help.

"I'm gonna kill you!" a voice boomed as heavy feet pounded down the steps.

When the young man's eyes landed on her, for some strange reason, Sakura motioned for him to come over. His face split into a huge grin and he practically flew down the rest of the steps to fling his arms around her. Just then, a man with sunglasses and a haggard goatee emerged. He ran his hands through his pale blond hair that was cropped close to his head. He caught sight of his opponent with his arms around Sakura and he bellowed.

"You mess around with my girl and now you're screwing another one?" he shouted, stomping over. Sakura heard the blonde curse under his breath. Thinking quickly, Sakura turned and pinched his cheek. Hard.

"Ouch!" he blurted. The huge man with the goatee reached them just as Sakura pinched the blonde again. This time, it was on the arm.

"Onii-chan! You're terrible! I waited for 20 minutes. We missed 2 trains!" Sakura exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest. She glared for another minute and then let out a sigh. She smoothed down his long hair and fiddled with the collar of his shirt. She took a step back and smiled.

"Today's my birthday, so I'll forgive you, just this once, Onii-chan. But you have to buy lunch, ok?" Sakura finally declared. He mumbled back an apology with a sheepish expression, immediately catching on to her plan. After they hooked pinkies, Sakura turned to face out at the platform again and jumped a little. She acted as if she had just noticed the tall, still angry man hovering over her "brother".

"Onii-chan, did you bring your friend?" she asked with a bright smile. Before he could respond, Sakura shook the other man's big hand. His thick fingers could have easily broken her wrist if he tried. But he seemed too confused to do anything other than gape at the little girl who barely reached his shoulders. Sakura nudged her "brother" with her elbow.

"Onii-chan, don't be rude! Introduce me to your friend!" she ordered. Still really stunned, the two men complied.

"Killer Bee, this is my sister…"

"I'm Sakura! Nice to meet you, Killer Bee-san!" she cut in with the most adorable smile she could muster.

"Onii-chan didn't tell me he had such a cool friend!" she added. Killer Bee's lips pulled into a small smile, confirming her suspicions. Big, strong guys always had soft spots for little sisters. Armed with this knowledge, Sakura moved in for the killing blow. She turned to the other blonde with an accusatory glare.

"Come to think of it, I heard Killer Bee-san saying something about his girlfriend," she began. Killer Bee's expression darkened as he remembered what he had come running into the subway before. The other blonde blanched.

"Onii-chan…. Are you causing problems for other people again?" she demanded, poking her finger into his chest. She had her back to Killer Bee so she raised her eyebrows and jerked her head in a little nod, indicating for him to agree. Swallowing his rising fear, he slowly nodded. Sakura drew back and then she burst into tears. Killer Bee immediately panicked. As Sakura had predicted, he was tough, but extremely weak to a girl's tears.

"You're really the worst, Onii-chan! You're always breaking promises to be with women even though you promised to take care of me!" she sobbed as tears fell down her cheeks. Killer Bee was too busy being nervous to notice anything amiss. Sakura didn't even flinch as her "brother" hugged her.

"I'm sorry, Sakura, yeah. I promise I won't do it again. Stop crying," he murmured. Killer Bee settled for looking back and forth between the two siblings until Sakura finally managed to calm down.

"K-killer Bee-s-san. I'm sorry f-for my brother," Sakura sniffed. Killer Bee felt his heart melt as the pink-haired girl rubbed her eyes and tried her best to stop crying. He looked clumsy and awkward as he patted the top of her head.

"Uh… that's okay," he lamely replied. His gaze fell on the other blonde.

"And you take good care of your sister. I'll let you off the hook this time," Killer Bee said before he walked off.

When he was a good distance away, Sakura, let out a loud sigh and wiped her eyes. The other people on the platform who had witnessed the fiasco broke into applause. Sakura quickly took a step back from the stranger and smiled.

"Looks like you saved my ass, yeah," he remarked. Sakura wanted to reply, but her train pulled up. He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her on board, plunking her down on the seat beside him. At first, Sakura was nervous about the whole situation until she met his sparkling blue eyes. They both burst into laughter.

"I'm Deidara," the blond said, sticking out his hand.

"Haruno Sakura," Sakura replied, shaking it.

And as the train began speeding along the track, Sakura's eyes drifted down to their joined hands. She blushed furiously as she pulled away. Deidara laughed again as he ran his hand through his long blond hair.

"Man, I'd forgotten there were innocent girls like you. How old are you, yeah?" he said, grinning. Sakura willed her cheeks to cool down as she stared down at her lap.

"I'm 16," she replied, feeling extremely shy. Deidara nodded, taking the information in. As he quietly mused to himself, Sakura suddenly sat straight up. Where was this older guy taking her?

"Um... excuse me... Deidara-san? Where are we going?" she inquired in a small voice. Deidara looked up. He had been counting on his fingers. What he had been counting, Sakura instinctively knew that she was better off not knowing.

"Oh, sorry. This is my train and I thought it would be more dramatic if you got on with me, yeah. Do you have plans today? Why don't you come to my school with me?" Deidara said, grinning again. Sakura's eyes went wide.

"Wait… this is the way to- Do you go to Konoha University?" Sakura blurted out. She immediately shrank back, slapping her hands over her mouth. Deidara chuckled.

"Yeah. I'm majoring in cosmetology and I'm a minor in psychology," Deidara explained. Sakura cocked her head to the side. Her brow furrowed as she counted the days.

"But… today's Saturday. Do you have classes on weekends?"

Deidara looked over at her, his eyes sparkling.

"Nope. But I do have my club meeting. Come with me," he said, just as the train ground to a halt and the doors opened. Deidara held his hand out, waiting. And although Sakura had been taught from a young age not to trust strangers, she saw something in his eyes that begged her to come along. So, willing her own hands not to shake, she took his hand. Deidara's grin widened as he yanked her out of her seat and began running around the platform. He took her up the stairs, through two turnstiles and through so many doorways that she lost count. Finally, he led her up a final flight of stairs that took them to the surface.

And Sakura gasped.

Konoha University (called KU for short) was famous for one of the most beautiful campuses in Japan. The lush green lawns were perfect for lounging around and reading or taking a nap in the warm sun. The tall white buildings were equipped with the best technology and facilities to ensure the best education.

Sakura felt herself almost drooling. She came around when Deidara tugged on her hand again and pulled her into a tall building comprised of almost entirely glass windows.

"Wait! Am I really allowed to be here?" Sakura squealed as she was dragged up three flights of stairs. In response, Deidara gave her a cheeky grin and then proceeded to shove her into a room.

"TA-DAH!" the blond crowed as he jumped in after her. He stopped when he realized that Sakura was on the floor, pressing her hand to her butt.

"Ow. That was mean," Sakura sighed as she stood. Deidara gave an apologetic grin and then spun around to face his friends.

"Look what I brought!" he announced.

"Uchiha-ssan?" Sakura gasped, not realizing the strange looks everyone else was giving her. And Uchiha Itachi, covered in sweat and wearing nothing but a wifebeater and jeans stared back at her.

* * *

*Goukon is a group date. It's pretty popular in Japan.

I'm planning on following the actual Japanese school system (Like in Black Widow and the Sandman) so don't get too confused. I'm not really sure how long this will be since it's just a side project.

And please don't forget to review!


	2. Kitten?  Kitten

**Edit: Hey guys, I have a poll up on my profile and I would be so grateful is you would stop by and give your input. Come on! This is your chance to change this story and have your say!**

Let's see where this monster ends up. I've been a little busy lately so I probably won't be able to update on a perfectly set schedule. But I'll try my best to update quickly. I have to admit after all this GaaSaku angsty-ness, I'm glad I get to write a happy story for once. Let's cheer for happiness!

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Fancy Footwork

Chapter 2: Kitten? Kitten.

Sakura stared at her feet. She wriggled her bare toes against the wood floor, watching her chipped green nail polish reflect light. A loud thud sounded next to her. With a start, she looked up and met Deidara's ridiculously happy grin.

"Bored, yeah?" he asked, grabbing a bottle of water. He untwisted the cap and dumped half the contents into his mouth. He wiped his mouth on his shirt and smacked his lips.

"No. Just… I feel like I shouldn't be here," Sakura admitted with a quick glance up at the other club members. She had been sitting on the floor for about an hour so she had caught snippets of conversations and names.

From what she gathered, Itachi was the president of the club. Once she had recovered from the shock of seeing him half-naked, he had pulled on a shirt, apologized for Deidara's rudeness and her inadvertent kidnapping. He had offered to give her subway fee to get home but Deidara had protested, saying that she had agreed to visit. Itachi had sighed, pressing his fingers to his temples. He was so intelligent and cool that Sakura couldn't help but get a little starry-eyed in his presence. It was like taking Sasuke-kun's good looks and adding a mature sexiness that made her blush a little each time she met his gaze.

Then, there was Sasori, who had dark red hair and a constant expression of utter boredom. He had calmly walked over, rolling up a fashion magazine, and brought it down on Deidara's head without mercy. Sasori's calm appearance and his violent punishment didn't match up at all. After a few minutes of beating Deidara, he had turned to Sakura, shook her hand, and wandered off. Deidara was on a floor for a few minutes, moaning about the pain until a third club member had tackled him and caught him in a headlock.

Deidara called him "Sharkie" and "Tuna-Boy" but Sakura was sure that Itachi had called him Kisame. He towered over everyone else, which meant he was over a head taller than Sakura. He had grinned, revealing pointy teeth. His hair was dark blue, which was odd too. But Sakura had pink hair herself so she decided that she had no right to criticize him. At first, she had been terrified of Kisame. He was tall and his huge arm muscles flexed as he mock-choked Deidara. After a few seconds, he had released Deidara and began laughing loudly about Deidara's lolicon* which had sent the blond into a furious tirade of insults.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, be sure to cheer for me!" Deidara exclaimed, pulling Sakura from her thoughts. She just nodded. He was the cheerful type that said whatever he wanted, sort of like Naruto. Sasori crossed the room in two light bounds to smack Deidara in the back of the head, telling him to be quiet. Deidara snarled in pain, spitting death threats and complaints. Sakura giggled quietly, drawing Itachi's attention. He was stretching his arms over his head, getting ready for the next set. Their gazes met and Sakura felt her cheeks warm again.

Someone stopped the music and Kisame roared with laughter as he did a Nike, balancing on one hand with both legs spread in the air. Deidara tossed his water bottle aside as he scrambled to his feet to tip the taller man over. Kisame landed gracelessly on his butt and tackled the blond.

"Focus. We have to get through this next song, guys," Itachi announced, claiming everyone's attention. He looked around the room and caught Sakura's timid smile. She waved, feeling a little silly but he smiled back. He reached back to tighten his ponytail and then quickly ushered everyone else into their positions.

Sakura almost forgot to breathe when the music started. Each of the different members had a distinct style. And Uchiha Itachi, impossibly cool and charismatic was the ideal leader. They danced in perfect unison. Each step, each movement matched perfectly. At least, until they came to the last chorus and things seemed to fall apart. Deidara swore loudly as he landed on his back, staring up at the ceiling. He jumped to his feet, tore off his hat, and threw it to the floor. He seemed to immediately remember that Sakura was there and skulked off into a corner, his face bright red. Sasori ran his hands through his crimson hair, visibly frustrated. Even suave Itachi sighed, rubbing his temples. Kisame stopped the CD with a scowl.

"What the hell are we doing wrong?" Deidara demanded, turning to his companions. Kisame shrugged.

"Can I say something?" Sakura asked with a burst of sudden confidence. All four men turned to her with varying degrees of irritation on their faces and she felt the random self-assurance dwindle. But Itachi silenced Deidara's angry grumbling with a stern look and turned all his attention to her.

"Is something the matter, Sakura-san?" Itachi politely asked. There was no doubt that his parents had raised a gentleman. She knew that he didn't actually care what she said, but the effort to make it seem like he did was touching. Sakura tried to find the words to explain, but she struggled unsuccessfully for a full minute as the men stared at her. Frustrated, she got to her feet.

"Can you replay that part, please?" she requested as she nervously glanced up at Kisame. The big blue man continued to gape at her, his jaw hanging uselessly. With a sigh, Itachi obliged, although he had no idea what this shy high school girl could possibly show them. He pressed the green button on the stereo system and turned, crossing his arms.

"What is she doing?" Deidara muttered as the music started. Sasori elbowed him in the ribs.

Sakura took a deep breath and let the music wash over her. She closed her eyes, envisioning the dance moves that she had watched for the past hour. She could imagine her arms and legs moving in time to the pounding beat. Each note flowed like water through her limbs. Before she had even realized, her body was moving.

It was a pattern that she had almost forgotten: stepping and moving in time to the beat. She could feel the blood rushing through her, the sound of her deep breathing crashing through her ears. The strong thumping of her heart quickened, trying to match the song. And the world was spinning in wild circles, a blur of white walls and gleaming wood floors. The pounding bass and drums wrapped around her, pulling her into the dance and tethering her very core to the beat. She could feel the song drawing to the end as it started the chorus for the third time. Imagining Deidara's feet, she could suddenly see where he had gone wrong. Just a fraction of a second before he had, she threw her head back, pushed her arms out in front of her and spun on her right foot. She watched the ceiling above her before gravity yanked her downwards and she landed on all fours. The song's last note hung in the air, slowly fading away.

For a moment, Sakura was still caught in a rush of adrenaline. All she knew was that the thrill of dancing again raced through her blood. She panted, staring down at the floor and watching her sweat fall in neat little droplets. And then, gradually, she felt the eyes boring into her. She remembered that there were other people in the room with her. And then, Deidara's excited clapping shattered the stunned silence.

"That was amazing!" Deidara crowed as he fell to his knees beside her. He peered at her through her curtain of long hair with wide blue eyes.

"Ah! You're blushing! You're so cute, Sakura-chan!" he exclaimed. Sakura sat back on her feet, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. She looked up at the men who were crowded around her. She wanted to crawl under the floorboards and hide from their curious gazes. In particular, Itachi looked so utterly shocked that she really just wanted to disappear. Finally, Sasori plopped to the floor beside her and sighed.

"I give up. It took us two weeks to learn that routine and she learns it in less than an hour. I'm done," he announced as he fell on his back and threw his arms over his eyes. After a second, he peeked at Sakura and, for the first time since she had arrived, smiled.

"This is your chance to run away, you know," he stage-whispered. Sakura stared at him.

"You looked like you wanted to get away from here," Sasori explained as he sat up. At that, Sakura burst out laughing. She laughed so hard that her stomach began to ache and she pressed her hands against her belly. Tears streamed from her eyes and she began to choke on her own laugh. As she fell over backwards, strong hands caught her.

"S-Sakura-ch-chan…. What's wrong?" Deidara asked, his eyes wide with panic. Sakura gasped to catch her breath as Itachi pulled her back into a sitting position. Someone twisted off the top of a water bottle and pushed it into her hands.

"Sasori-san, you look so serious but your attitude doesn't fit you at all," Sakura explained, still giggling. It was Deidara's turn to roar with laughter as he pointed at Sasori's startled expression. He slapped his hands against his thighs as he watched Sasori's face turn pink.

"Ah… Sakura-chan, you say the best things. Be careful or I might start to fall in love with you," Deidara chuckled, putting his arm around her. Sasori appeared like a ninja, karate-chopping Deidara in the back of the head. Kisame grabbed the blond by the arms, hauling him away where he and Sasori began ruthlessly stepping on him.

"Idiot! This is why our club has no girls! Stop sexually harassing high school girls, you damn dirty ape!" Kisame exclaimed as he squished Deidara's face under his foot. Deidara grabbed onto Kisame's foot, hanging on for dear life. Sakura watched the dramatic spectacle with her hands slapped over her burning cheeks. She started when Itachi sighed and sat down beside her.

"I'm sorry you have to witness this, Sakura-san," Itachi apologized with a small smile. When he looked over at her, she couldn't help but smile too. But as she watched, Deidara and Kisame were laughing while they fought. Even Sasori didn't look really angry about the whole ordeal.

"It's alright. They look they're having fun," Sakura said and took a sip from the bottle of water that had been thrust into her hands. Itachi stared at her, his expression pensive.

"You make it sound like you've never…" he began but then he trailed off. Sakura looked up from her water bottle, catching on to his train of thought. She appreciated that he didn't finish his sentence. But that didn't make the truth any less obvious. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she smiled.

"I'm everyone's friend at school. But outside… I spent a lot of time by myself. It's not sad or anything," she quietly said, feeling her cheeks grow warm again. She was sure that someone as cool and handsome as Uchiha Itachi wouldn't understand. After all, even now, he was surrounded by such fun people. Itachi cleared his throat.

"What about my brother?"

"Eh?" Sakura's face turned an even brighter shade of red, making her hair look white in comparison.

"Sasuke told me that you two have known each other since kindergarten. Shouldn't you be close?" Itachi clarified. Sakura relaxed a little when she understood what he had meant. Her expression quickly sobered as she thought.

"Sasuke-kun and I… are very different people," she vaguely replied, looking away. The air around them grew a little awkward and they sat, neither very sure of what to say. Slowly, they both looked over and their eyes met. A giggle escaped Sakura at just how awkward it felt. Seeing her expression lighten, Itachi chuckled out of pure relief.

"Quit monopolizing Sakura-chan, you weasel! I found her first, yeah!" Deidara blurted out, breaking up their quiet exchange. Sakura's eyes popped open when she felt Itachi put his hand on top of her head.

"Actually, I met her yesterday so I found her first," Itachi corrected with an innocent expression. He paused to meet Sakura's confused gaze and smile.

"You...you… you harlot!" Deidara exclaimed. Sasori crouched on the floor next to Sakura, crunching on an orange lollipop. His half-lidded eyes and frowning mouth clashed so severely with the sweet candy that Sakura began giggling again. Sasori noticed this and sidled closer to Sakura. He popped the lollipop out of his mouth and used it to point in Deidara's expression.

"This here, Sakura-chan, is an example of when **not** to use the word harlot. However, it is appropriate to call Deidara a harlot," he explained in a completely solemn tone. To top it off, he extracted another lollipop from the pocket of his black sweatshirt and held it out to her. She lost it. She fell over sideways as the laughter wracked her body.

"Ah, Sasori's being laughed at again," Kisame sighed as he tried to glide over. One of his feet caught in the hem of his pants and he stumbled the last few steps, only adding to Sakura's laughter. Itachi snorted too. Kisame copied Sasori, crouching on the floor in front of her.

"Hey, you're a pretty fun kid, Sakura-chan. Why don't you come by again?" Kisame asked with a toothy-smile.

Her laughter immediately stopped as the words registered in her mind. Scrambling to understand, she sat up. She felt her eyes go wide as she realized that no one was snickering behind their hands. Kisame was being serious. He looked down at her with a grin, waiting for her answer. Sakura's eyes drifted to the other faces surrounding her. None of them seemed to protest.

"Can I… really come again?" she finally asked.

Deidara stood, stretching his arms over his head.

"Sure, Sakura-chan. Why don't you stop by tomorrow?" he suggested, shoving his hands into his pockets. Itachi frowned.

"I'm sure Sakura-san has plans too, Deidara. Don't be selfish," he chided and Deidara stuck his tongue out at him.

"I'd… I'd like to come tomorrow… if I'm not being a bother," Sakura quietly admitted. Deidara's head whipped around so fast that his neck cracked. Sakura felt a blush spread across her cheeks again when Itachi regarded her with curiosity. When she peeked up at him through her bangs, he sighed. But then he met her gaze and half-smiled.

"Well, practice is over for today. I'll send you home," Itachi offered as he got to his feet. Sakura almost accepted until she noticed the clock on the wall.

"I actually need to go grocery shopping. Thank you anyway," she replied, picking up her satchel.

"Where?" Kisame piped up, standing too.

"…The grocery store on Komura Street," she replied as she fished her cell phone out of her bag. She missed the significant looks the men threw each other.

"That's near the library, right? I have some errands to run around there. Hold on a second," Itachi quickly said before she could protest. So Sakura watched, dumbfounded, as Itachi slung his messenger bag over his shoulder and gathered a couple of things from around the room.

"Don't forget to lock up," he instructed Kisame as he tossed him a ring of keys. Itachi paused to glance over his shoulder.

"Sakura-san?" he said, motioning towards the door. Sakura jumped a little. She looked around the room and patted herself down, making sure she hadn't forgotten anything. Then, she turned around to face the other people in the room.

"Um… thank you for letting me stay here," she said as she bowed. When she straightened, Deidara was staring at her with extremely pink cheeks.

"Sakura-chan… you're just so cute!" he exclaimed as he pounced. Sasori stuck his foot out, knocking the blonde to the ground. His expression unchanged, he stood and calmly walked over to Sakura. Kisame hooted with laughter in the background as Sasori extracted the same lollipop from his pocket and placed it in Sakura's hand, closing her fingers around it.

"See you tomorrow," Sasori simply said as he ruffled her hair. Sakura smiled up at him. With a nod, Sasori turned around and surveyed Deidara sprawled across the floor. He made a point of stepping on the blonde's back as he made his way across the room. Sakura took one step toward the door and paused. Kisame looked up from the stereo to wave at her, the keys jingling merrily in his hand. Deidara sat up, grumbling something that sounded like 'physical assault' but then he saw Sakura and immediately beamed.

"Bye, Sakura-chan! Let's go out for lunch tomorrow, yeah!" he exclaimed before something collided with his forehead, sending the blonde toppling over backwards. Sakura giggled as she caught up with Itachi. As she exited the room, Kisame, suspiciously missing one shoe, made a shushing motion at her and winked.

They were both quiet as they climbed down the stairs and emerged back on the university's campus. Sakura took a moment to look down at the candy still cupped in her hand. She plucked off the wrapper and stuck the lollipop in her mouth. When she looked up, Itachi was standing at the entrance to the subway, waiting. Sakura hurried to catch up with him, slightly mortified that she had fallen so far behind.

"How's the candy?" Itachi asked as they climbed down the stairs.

"Good… very good," she replied with a smile.

Itachi took the same train as her and even walked her all the way to the grocery store. When she asked about it, he explained that some university students had taken to loitering in the area and hitting on girls. After she had promised to be especially careful and he had informed her that practice started at 11 the next day, Itachi went to run his errands, leaving Sakura to do her shopping in peace. She stopped for a late lunch at a local café before taking the train home. There, she did her laundry, caught up on her favorite TV shows, finished up her homework, had a simple dinner and read a few chapters of a book before falling asleep on the sofa.

The next day was slightly less traumatic than the first. The ride to KU was uneventful and she had no trouble finding the dance studio. Everyone greeted her warmly, especially Deidara, who received a fair share of blows from Sasori and Kisame. After an hour and a half of rehearsal, Kisame and Deidara had announced that they would die without food so everyone, including a flustered Sakura, went to a nearby restaurant for some Italian food. By the time they returned and finished rehearsal, it was nearly five.

"Hey, it's getting pretty dark outside," Kisame noted as they watched Itachi lock up the studio.

"Ah, I'll-" Deidara excitedly said before Kisame's foot made contact with butt, sending him stumbling.

"You're shameless," Sasori sighed as he stepped over his friend.

"I'll walk you home, Sakura-san," Itachi offered, also ignoring Deidara's complaints as he walked around him. Sakura peered out the nearest window and found that the sun was beginning to sink below the horizon. Walking alone in the dark had never been one of her favorite things so she quickly agreed. After greeting everyone (and waiting for Kisame to pry a sniffling Deidara off her shoulder), Sakura and Itachi boarded a train.

"Sakura-san, there's a seat here," Itachi said, motioning to the empty spot beside him. But as Sakura made her way to him, she spotted an old woman standing by the door. Her wrinkled hand was clutching the metal railings as she swayed unsurely. In her other shaky hand was a battered cane. Sakura glanced back at Itachi, who couldn't see the elderly lady, and back to the woman.

"Excuse me, Obaa-san. There's a seat here," Sakura said as she crossed the car. She took the woman's arm, pointing to the vacant seat next to Itachi. The woman peered up into Sakura's face with a frail smile. Sakura helped her shuffle over the seat and eased her onto the hard plastic.

"Thank you, dear," the woman said with a sigh as she settled into the chair. Sakura felt equally relieved as she simply nodded. To her surprise, Itachi got to his feet and pushed her into his seat. When she looked at him, he looked away, feigning innocence.

"Thank you...Uchiha-san," she said and she saw the corners of his lips curl upwards.

The 15-minute walk back to her apartment was pleasant. Sakura would bring up a topic and Itachi would add a few words but mostly listen to her talk. Somehow, it felt different from talking to Sasuke. With Sasuke, he did the same thing, but there was the distinct impression that he really didn't care. It was essentially talking to a brick wall with a nice face. Itachi, on the other hand, Itachi was the perfect listener. His lack of input didn't indicate disinterest and somehow, that made it that much easier for her to talk. Sakura sighed as she caught herself comparing the brothers again.

"Is something the matter, Sakura-san?" Itachi asked as they stopped in front of the apartment complex. Sakura shook her head and began climbing the stairs. When they reached the third floor, Sakura walked past the doors, digging in her pocket for her keychain. She stopped in front of door 3-F. When she turned around, Itachi was close.

Much closer than she had expected.

"Hold on. I heard a noise," he whispered. They stood, silent. Something clattered loudly and then there were the sounds of laughter. Sakura giggled.

"That's Fuyutsuki-san in 3-B. He hosts a lot of parties. I'm fine," Sakura said as she stuck her key in the lock and opened the door. The inside of the home was completely dark.

"Are your parents not home?" Itachi asked. Sakura reached into the mailbox and retrieved a couple envelopes.

"My dad passed away and my mom's on a business trip. Do you want something to drink?" said Sakura. Itachi sighed.

"Sakura-san, you shouldn't be so quick to let men into your home especially when your mother isn't home," he said. Sakura wrinkled her nose.

"But you're Sasuke-kun's brother."

"Still. Don't let strangers into your home, Sakura-san," he sternly said. Sakura slowly nodded and his expression lightened.

"Will you be coming tomorrow?" he asked.

"It's at 5? Um… I'm not sure. I usually stay to help out with student council on Mondays... so…" Sakura trailed off, thinking. Itachi's eyebrows rose.

"You're in the student council?" Sakura turned to him with a scowl.

"Why do you sound so surprised?" she demanded, bristling.

"No, I'm just impressed. It seemed like… you ended up picking up a lot of your friends' slack. It must be a lot of work altogether," he clarified. Sakura backed down, her forehead smoothing out. Their eyes met and they let out simultaneous sighs of understanding. Somehow, Sakura got the feeling that he did the same for Deidara.

"Anyway, I would love to come. But I don't think I'll be able to make it tomorrow. Thank you anyway, Uchiha-san," Sakura finally replied with another smile. Itachi watched her for a moment and then he inclined his head.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Good night, Sakura-san," he said, taking a step back.

"Good night, Itachi-san," Sakura echoed as she stepped into her apartment. As she shut the door, she caught a glimpse of Itachi's smile and a blush bloomed across her cheeks. He was **definitely** better-looking than Sasuke.

* * *

At 7:00 am, the alarm clock rang. Sakura's hand promptly shot out of the sheets and smacked it, sentencing it to silence. She then rolled over in bed, wrapped the sheets around her body, and slept for another ten minutes.

At 7:10 am, the alarm clock rang again. This time, she turned it off with a little less hatred and sat up, mussing her long hair. She did a couple of stretches before hopping out of bed and into the shower.

At 7:20, Sakura emerged from the shower, brushed her teeth, and put on her uniform: white blouse, knee-length blue skirt, white socks and red neckerchief. Then, she went to the kitchen to re-heat some rice along with the previous night's leftovers.

At 7:35, after a simple breakfast, she brushed her teeth again, dried her hair and combed it. She took time to pack herself lunch and grab a bottle of juice from the fridge to slip in her bag. After a quick session on the computer to check the weather, she slipped on black mary janes and headed off to school.

It was a twenty-minute ride on the subway plus a ten-minute walk. She listened to music the entire way, careful to watch for gropers on the train. When she arrived, she changed her shoes, greeted classmates and went to homeroom. There, Ino attacked, spilling all the details of her goukon very loudly while shooting not-too-subtle glances at Shikamaru. Shikamaru, however, either didn't care or was really sleeping in the back of the room. As usual, even though he was in another class, Naruto dropped by to beg Sakura for the homework he hadn't done for some class. Sakura refused, listening to him grovel until she finally caved and threw the notebook at him.

Classes. Lunch. More classes. Clean-up duty. Attendance (even though it was really Ino's job but she had gone off to karaoke with her new boyfriend). Student council (listening to another one of the President's lectures). Stuck in the classroom doing paperwork.

Sakura let her head fall on top of the giant stack of papers. Although this was technically the President's duty, he had somehow managed to push all the work on her. She glared at the forms, wishing they would burst into flames. But after a moment of silently complaining, she picked up her pen and continued filling out the words. She glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was so quiet. There was almost no one else in the building. Listening to the soft ticks of the clock, she pillowed her head in her arms and drifted off to sleep.

"Hey, kid, you know where I can find a girl named Sakura?"

Sakura vaguely recognized the voice. She kept her eyes shut. She didn't know how long she'd been sleeping but she didn't want to wake up just yet. Instead, she floated in the space between sleep and consciousness, listening.

"Hah? Haruno-chan? Er… if she hasn't gone home, I guess she would be in the classroom?" Sakura recognized the distinctly puzzled voice: Naruto. The other person sighed impatiently.

"Which classroom, yeah?" he demanded.

"2-C," Naruto replied. There were two sets of footsteps, one growing farther away. The other came closer, brisk and almost nervous. After a length, they stopped. Sakura felt herself slipping off the edge of the cliff, back into sleep, just as the door slid open. The footsteps approached and a light gust of air fanned across her face.

"Sakura-chan?" the voice breathed. He shook her shoulder.

"Sakura-chan, your knight has arrived, yeah," he insisted, shaking her harder. Sakura blinked. Her eyelids felt heavy. She yawned, listening to her jaw crack. As she rubbed the tears from her eyes, she looked up and found Deidara sitting on the desk in front of her.

"Deidara-san!" she exclaimed as she bolted upright. He laughed as she tried to smooth down her hair.

"What are you doing here?" she inquired. Deidara put his foot up on the chair with a grin. He was wearing a dark grey jacket over a yellow t-shirt and jeans. There was a helmet held in the crook of his arm. She eyed the helmet with particular skepticism. Something in the pit of her stomach warned her that this wasn't a purely social visit.

"Ah. Well, last night, Uchiha calls me, yeah? And he tells me you can't come unless you have a fast ride," Deidara explained. Sakura continued to stare at the helmet.

"I… don't suppose you drive a scooter, do you?" she slowly said. Deidara blinked once. And then he burst into laughter, nearly toppling the desk over.

"You're so funny, yeah. Let's go!" he said, hopping off the desk. But Sakura didn't move as she eyed the stack of papers left. Deidara paused in the doorway and his gaze drifted to the pile.

"Oh… do you have to finish?" Deidara inquired. Sakura did a little mental calculation and then cracked her neck.

"Give me ten minutes," she simply replied. And Deidara returned to the desk in front of her and sat in the chair facing her. There was a smirk on his face, as if he was doubting her ability to do all that work in such a short frame of time.

"I'm timing you, Kitten," he simply said. Sakura looked up from the papers.

"Kitten?" she repeated. Deidara shrugged.

"Hey, Sharkie thought of it, not me," he replied with a grin. Sakura wrinkled her nose.

"Well... I guess Kitten sounds better than Forehead," she conceded as she turned back to her work.

Her pen flew over the paper, filling in words and bubbles that her eyes barely had time to read. Everything blurred together in one giant cloud of symbols and letters until all she had to do was pick out a few key words from each page. Her fingers began to cramp as the words sizzled across the lines. Black ink was bleeding into black. As she finished the strokes on one word, she flicked the paper off the desk and onto the pile on another desk. But when she went to begin another set of lines, all she saw was the smooth plastic surface.

"9 minutes and 22 seconds. Impressive, yeah," Deidara whistled with wide eyes. Sakura smiled back at him. He helped her carry all the files to the staff room and then waited for her to change back into her regular shoes.

"You know…" he began and Sakura, who had been tying her hair up in a ponytail, turned to him. He had a strange look on his face, like he was trying to imagine something else.

"You'd look good in short hair, Sakura-chan," he finally declared.

Just outside the school gates was a sleek black motorcycle. Deidara reached under the seat and handed her a helmet. Sakura eyed the object, trying to figure out what part of the strap and buckle went where. Deidara chuckled as he helped her put it on and secured the strap under her chin. He sat on the bike, reaching around to pat the space behind him. The engine roared to life and he busied himself testing all the shining parts of the bike. Sakura carefully slid onto the seat, making sure to sit on her skirt.

"Um… Deidara-san… where do I… hang on?" she asked over the loud rumble of the engine. Deidara calmly took her hands and wrapped them around his middle.

"Hold on tight, yeah!" Deidara warned and Sakura immediately clenched her fingers together. Without warning, the bike jerked forward and Sakura let out a squeal of surprise. She buried her face between his shoulder blades and all she could feel was the cool wind whipping at her hair. But after a few minutes, she managed to pry her eyes open and lift her head. She could see the city slide by in a blur of concrete and red tail lights. When she peered over Deidara's shoulder, she could see the sky beginning to fade from cerulean to a deep shade of burgundy. Deidara took a moment to flash a grin at her before he turned his attention back to the road. She was sure that with the wind and the engine and the helmet, he wouldn't hear her words so she didn't feel embarrassed saying them.

"Thank you, Deidara-san."

But he heard anyway.

And he smiled.

* * *

*Lolicon= is short for lolita-complex. In short, Kisame's calling Deidara a pedophile.

Reviews are always appreciated! And don't complain about the lack of Itachi in this chapter. The man needs time to prepare for his star performance!


	3. Faux Pas

Before someone karate chops me in the head, I'm really sorry for the obscenely long delay. But I've been swamped with finals and I also had the worst case of writer's block ever. As an apology, I made this chapter a little longer. I'm really not that satisfied with this chapter, but it's been festering on my computer for long enough. I'll probably edit this a couple of times...

Anyway, I offer my sincerest apologies and hope you enjoy this... long-awaited chapter.

* * *

Fancy Footwork

Chapter 3: Faux Pas

"Hold on tight, Kitten," Deidara shouted over his shoulder. Sakura tightened her grip on him as the bike roared threateningly and sped forward. They weaved between cars, barely avoiding scraping against trucks as they slid past. For some reason, she couldn't tear her eyes from the road, even as her heart pounded furiously against her ribcage. When they arrived at KU twenty minutes later, even when Deidara turned the motorcycle off, her arms were locked in place.

"Sakura-chan? You can let go now," Deidara laughed. But Sakura could barely hear him over the ringing in her ears. Deidara twisted around in her tight grasp. He shook her shoulder but her tense muscles refused to let go.

"I… I can't move my arms, Deidara-san," she managed to choke out. Deidara unsuccessfully attempted to stifle his snort. Sakura gritted her teeth as the shame burned her cheeks. She felt like an idiot, clinging to him and shivering. She could feel the passing people stare at her and she wanted to really become invisible. But as hard as she tried, her muscles refused to budge.

"Deidara, you're late," Itachi interrupted as he emerged from a nearby building. His dark eyes took in Sakura positively glued to Deidara's back and he arched his eyebrow at her.

"Help me please," Sakura requested in a tiny voice. Itachi's eyes lit up with understanding as he took in Deidara's bike and her absolutely terrified expression.

"Deidara does drive like a maniac. Here, try to relax," Itachi said. He reached out, ignoring Deidara's suddenly murderous glare, and carefully pried her arms off of the blonde. A squeak escaped her mouth as Itachi slipped his hands around her waist and lifted her into the air like she weighed nothing. Her face burned as he set her down on the pavement. Even though he quickly released her, she could still feel the lingering warmth of his big hands.

"We'll head up first," Itachi said as he placed his hand on Sakura's elbow and steered her towards the now-familiar building with huge windows. Deidara's acid stare followed them as Itachi held the door open for Sakura. Her blush intensified as she quickly thanked him and darted inside. She ran up the stairs. Itachi followed, taking one big stride for each pair of her hurried steps. When they reached the studio on the fourth floor, Sakura all but flew into the room.

"Good timing, Sakura-chan. What shoe size are you?" Sasori immediately demanded as he grabbed her and dragged her to a spot on the floor.

"Um… 23? What's going on?" she dazedly replied as she watched Sasori hurry around the room gathering cases and closing curtains. In between, he looked up at her, mouth filled with pins and then looked back down at the sketchbook in his hand.

"Will she fit?" Deidara demanded as he burst into the room. Sasori threw Deidara a glare as he finished up shutting all the curtains. He looked around and spotted Itachi and Kisame standing in the corner, watching the chaos unfold. Sasori seized Deidara's shoulder and spun him around to face Itachi and Kisame. The blond stared blankly until his blue eyes lit up with inexplicable fury.

"Out!" he exclaimed. Itachi simply blinked as Kisame snorted.

"What is wrong with you two? Are we not invited to the tea party?" he mocked. But as he spoke, Sasori began unbuttoning Sakura's blouse. Sakura squeaked as she tried to pry his hands off of her. Sasori suddenly stopped and looked up at her, pins still resting precariously in his mouth. His strong fingers refused to let go of the shirt as he stared. For a moment, his sleepy eyes lit up, as if he had had a sudden epiphany. As he leaned in closer, Sakura panicked.

"What are you doing?" she suddenly exploded, grabbing Sasori's hands in hers, crushing the knuckles together. She heard the joints grind together under her fingers. Sasori winced but refused to let go as he looked over at Deidara. Very slowly and deliberately, he spat the pins in his teeth in Deidara's direction, narrowly missing his face. Sakura held on tight as her furious gaze narrowed in on the blonde too.

"Deidara… did you not explain this to Sakura-chan?" Sasori ground out between his teeth. He flinched when Sakura squeezed extra hard and one of his knuckles popped loudly. Deidara's blue eyes widened as he looked between the two.

"I forgot," he finally admitted.

The explosive silence in the room almost made Sakura forget to struggle. She scowled when Sasori slowly turned back to her. His hands slowly relaxed, releasing the front of her shirt.

"Haruno-san… would you please let go of me?" Sasori coolly asked, looking over her shoulder at Deidara. Sakura's eyes narrowed but she refused to release her tight grip. But when Sasori looked down at her, something about his chilling smile made her fingers slide off of him.

"Thank you," he said with a polite incline of his head as he massaged his hands. He strode across the room, plucking a magazine off a random pile and rolling it tightly in his hand. The laminated paper squeaked pitifully in his iron grip. With each step Sasori drew closer, the color seemed to drain out of Deidara's face. The blonde's feet shuffled back until his back smacked against the wall, leaving him with nowhere else to go. Sasori loomed over him, gold eyes burning.

"Deidara," Sasori began with a pleasant smile that sent chills down everyone's spines.

"Weren't you supposed to explain everything to Sakura-chan on the way here?"

Deidara slowly nodded.

"Then why is she under the impression that I'm trying to molest her?"

Sakura scrambled to fit her buttons back into the respective slots while the men were distracted. But in the struggle with Sasori, some of the buttons had flown off and rolled away, never to be seen again. With so many buttons missing, her entire upper chest was left exposed. As she tried to figure out a way to hold the fabric together, a finger tapped her shoulder and she jumped, knocking the top of her head into something solid. She stumbled backwards, rubbing at her skull. She peered upwards, only to find Kisame clutching his chin with one hand. In his free hand, he held out a few white buttons that matched the remaining ones on her shirt.

"Thank you?" she hesitantly said. Kisame flashed a grin and dropped them in her outstretched palm. Sakura jumped again as something warm settled over her shoulders. She peeked over her shoulder and found Itachi standing behind her. His soft hoodie was draped over her, covering the parts that her now defective blouse failed to hide. A soft blush crept over her cheeks as she thanked him. He nodded and then turned his attention to Sasori who was now wielding the magazine high over his head.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU EXPLAIN THEN?" Deidara hollered, nearly nose-to-nose with Sasori.

"Because it was clearly your job to explain. I thought she was just being modest at first," Sasori replied in such a cool tone with a blasé shrug. The two argued bitterly as Sakura pulled her arms through the sleeves of Itachi's hoodie. Kisame guffawed as she experimentally lifted her arm and found that the fabric went past her fingertips.

"Thank you," she whispered to Itachi with a wide smile. He nodded before he strode up to the arguing pair and seized them, spinning them around to face Sakura. Deidara's mouth was wide open, his mouth frozen mid-swear while Sasori's lips were pulled down in a frown. They both stared at Sakura drowning in Itachi's white sweatshirt. She stared back, carefully inching away from Sasori until she bumped into Kisame standing behind her. The bigger man put his hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture. When she looked up at him, he made a light punching motion, promising to hit Sasori if he made her uncomfortable. The uncomfortable knot in her chest loosened considerably and her frown smoothed out.

"Ah, it looks like I scared you. I apologize, Sakura-chan," Sasori said with a little bow. Sakura eyed him for another moment, digging her fingers into the big front pocket of the sweatshirt. But she slowly nodded and Sasori cracked a small smile. He took a small step towards her and Sakura could feel Kisame's hands tighten slightly on her shoulder, urging her to relax. All of the sudden, Sasori got down on his knees, taking her hands in his. He looked up into her face, golden eyes wide with sincerity.

"I still need you to take your clothes off."

Sakura's eyes rolled back. Kisame grunted as he caught Sakura as she toppled over. Sasori stared blankly. Itachi stepped forward to help Kisame lower the limp girl to the floor. Deidara met Kisame's eyes and they both burst into laughter.

When Sakura came to, she was aware of something cool running over her cheek. She squirmed as she felt the water run down her skin and onto her neck, making her shiver. When she cracked her eyes open, Uchiha Itachi's dark eyes were looking down at her. There was a bottle of water tilted over her face, barely dripping on her.

"She lives!" she heard Kisame chuckle from somewhere nearby. Itachi twisted the cap of the water bottle on and rubbed at her cheek with a towel. Sakura grumbled as she swatted his hand away and sat up, taking a moment to look out one of the windows. She noticed, with a sigh, that the sky was completely dark.

"How long was I out?" she asked, trying to smooth her hair down. Deidara was sitting cross-legged to her left, wearing a mischievous grin. He snuck a glance over his shoulder, stifling a snort.

"About ten minutes," the blonde replied. He pressed his lips into a line, obviously trying his best to stop smiling. Sakura nodded slowly as she looked over at Itachi. His arms were folded over his chest as he leaned against the wall. When he met her eyes, he lifted his eyebrows at her. After a moment, he held out the mostly full bottle of water to her. She shook her head.

"If you're wondering, Sasori's meditating on his sins in the corner," Deidara gleefully announced, pointing at the far end of the room. Sakura followed his finger and found Sasori crouching in a corner, chewing unhappily on a lollipop with loud crunching noises. His sleepy eyes met hers and she felt a blush flame across her cheeks as she remembered how close she had come to being shirtless in front of him. As she shrunk into Itachi's soft sweatshirt, Kisame suddenly stood and kicked Deidara over.

"What the hell, Tuna-boy!" Deidara snarled as he sat up, rubbing at the shoe print on his sleeve.

"This is technically your fault so you should be in the corner with Sasori," Kisame said with a smug smile. The blonde scowled.

"Kiss my butt, Sharkie," he spat. Kisame, nonplussed, shrugged.

"I would, Deidara, but you're not my type," he sniffed. Sakura giggled as the two began flinging verbal jabs at each other. She sat, listening as the insults grew progressively worse, spanning from "moron" to "narcissistic man-woman". Deidara sprang to his feet, as if the added height would somehow strengthen his argument. Sakura scooted back next to Itachi and pressed her back against the cool wall. He spared her a sidelong glance, meeting her smile with a tired shake of his head.

"I would apologize for their behavior, but I guess you're already used to it," Itachi sighed. Sakura nodded. They went back to watching the impressive battle. Deidara, who had run out of insults, swung his foot towards Kisame. Kisame, despite his size, was surprisingly light on his feet as he took a step back to dodge. Instead, he grabbed Deidara's leg and tossed him aside, roaring with laughter. Deidara retaliated by hitting Kisame in the back of the knee, sending the taller man sprawling across the floor. They both scrambled to their feet, fists raised and ready for combat, when Sasori suddenly stood and pushed through the dueling pair.

Sasori took long, brisk steps and stopped directly in front of Sakura who unconsciously shrank against Itachi's side. The red-head cleared his throat and crouched in front of her. He reached into the pocket of his sweatpants and pulled out a red lollipop. As he carefully placed the candy in Sakura's palm, he looked straight into her eyes.

"Peace offering," he simply said in his completely serious voice. Sakura stared blankly up at him, her fear overcome by her confusion. Sasori closed her fingers around the candy as he cleared his throat again. Sakura's eyes were drawn to the light tint of pink at the tips of his ears. It suddenly dawned on her that this was Sasori being embarrassed. She covered her mouth with her free hand, trying to hide her smile. Sasori didn't seem to notice as he spoke.

"I… worded my request badly. I should have explained better. So, I'm going to try again," he said as he got on his knees again. He clasped her lollipop-holding hand in his.

"Sakura-san, will you be our model please?" Sakura was suddenly aware that Kisame and Deidara had stopped arguing and were now watching the very strange exchange. Kisame, who had Deidara in a headlock, looked down at the blonde with a sly grin.

"So you needed a model for your photo shoot. Here I was thinking it was a porno-" Kisame's laughter was cut short as Deidara elbowed him in the stomach and wriggled free.

Sakura tried to process the request in her head. Model? Her confusion shone through her face as she scrunched up her nose and a little wrinkle appeared in her forehead.

"Model?" she finally echoed. Sasori's shoulders seemed to relax a little.

"I'm sure Deidara's bragged to you already, but he's a cosmetology student. Well, I'm majoring in fashion design right now. Every school year, there's a big project where a cosmetology and a fashion student pair up and they have to participate in a fashion show for a grade. Unfortunately-" Sasori began explaining but Deidara popped up interrupted with a frown.

"Unfortunately, the girl who had agreed to model for us flaked on us," the blonde finished. Sasori shot him a flat look.

"That's because you slept with her and then you slept with her friend…. Within the same week," Sasori pointed out. A gasp escaped Sakura's mouth at the accusation. Deidara sputtered, turning a light shade of pink as he tried to deny any such thing. Eventually, he weakly nodded and avoided looking up at Sakura.

"…Modeling? I don't know if I…can," Sakura quietly admitted. But as she lowered her head, Sasori caught her under the chin and tilted her face up. Deidara crouched beside him and took hold of her hands that Sasori had just released. He smiled, blue eyes shining with sincerity, and Sakura was struck by just how much he resembled Naruto at the moment.

"Please, it's just for a photo shoot today. If you don't like it, we'll find someone else to walk at the fashion show," Deidara pleaded with big eyes that melted her heart. Sakura chewed on her bottom lip. As a general rule, she preferred to stay out of the spotlight, both literally and figuratively. But as the two men hovered over her, faces bright with desperation, she felt her firm resolve turn to jell-o. And Sasori's next words effectively stuck a fork in it, deflating everything.

"You can keep the clothes afterwards."

"YES!" she immediately blurted out. A second later, she clapped her hands over her mouth, mortified that her body had responded like that. But Deidara was already on his feet, cheering happily. Sasori squeezed her hands and stood too, grabbing Deidara by the arm.

"We're going to have to take your measurements, Sakura-chan. Hence… the earlier stripping," Deidara called out as he began gathering the black cases scattered around the room. Sakura nodded dumbly, watching the two men scramble about gathering measuring tapes and pins. She had almost forgotten that Itachi was sitting beside her when he lightly nudged her arm. When she looked over, there was an amused tilt to his lips.

"You really like clothes, don't you?" he observed. Her cheeks burned as she buried her face in the big sleeves of his sweatshirt.

"I… It just slipped out…. I don't even know," she groaned. Kisame chortled as he walked over. He held out a hand to her with a wide grin. She hesitated for just a moment before she placed her hand in his and was pulled to her feet. Despite his intimidating stature, Sakura already knew that she could probably trust Kisame with anything… except food.

"I know Sasori can be a creep, but he's a professional. I promise it'll be fine," Kisame said, patting the top of her head. Sakura made a face, eliciting another chuckle from the big man.

"Itachi and I'll be sitting right outside the door. Just shout if you need us," he assured her, ruffling her hair. Itachi patted her shoulder lightly and she knew he was trying to comfort her too. She reluctantly nodded and then watched as her last two shields against Sasori's uncanny ability to quickly undress people left the room. Fortunately, as Itachi and Kisame exited, another man entered the room. Half of his short hair was black while the other dyed green, which surprisingly suited him well. His dark eyes were serious as he set a gigantic black case on the floor.

"Sakura-chan, this is Zetsu. He's a photography student," Deidara explained. Sakura quickly bowed to him and he replied with a small nod. From his neck hung an expensive-looking camera covered with dials and buttons.

This time, she was prepared when Sasori ushered her behind a corner of the room shielded by a white folding screen and quickly helped her undress. She stood, in just embarrassingly white underwear and bra as Sasori nonchalantly took measurements. His hands were cool and nimble, never lingering long enough to make the ordeal unbearably awkward. After what seemed like a million years, he tossed her a bundle of clothes to change into.

"I'm sorry. This must be terribly uncomfortable for you," he apologized as he turned his back to let her change in peace.

"That's alright, Sasori-san," she replied, almost feeling bad for how bad he felt, even as her cheeks burned with shame and self-consciousness. She quickly forgot about all her negative feelings when she looked down at the dress in her hands. It was made of a flowing white fabric that was soft to the touch. She pulled it over her head, straightening out the hem as it settled over hips and subtly flared out. The skirt was made of a translucent, almost tulle-like material that settled over her skin in light, airy folds.

"Can you help me?" she shyly requested, pointing to the thick blue ribbon that wrapped around just under her chest and trailed down the back of the dress. Sasori turned and froze. He surveyed her for a moment, nodding slowly as he carefully analyzed each part of his masterpiece. With a satisfied half-smile, he obligingly took the ribbons in his hands and made a big bow on her back.

"Deidara, come see this," Sasori called out as he placed a hand on each shoulder and pushed her out from behind the screen. As he spoke, Deidara, who had been fussing with a large cosmetics case, turned. He did the same thing Sasori had done, nodding and making little mental notes. After his analysis, he strode up to Sakura, took her face in his hands and kissed her noisily on the top of her head.

"Perfect! Let me do your hair and make-up," Deidara said with a grin, seizing her hands and dragging her across the room. Sakura, head spinning with the fact that a man had just touched her with his lips, blindly followed. She came to just as Deidara sat her on a little round ottoman.

"I can't believe she fits so perfectly," Sasori sighed, shaking his head as he sat on the floor at Sakura's feet.

"You look even better than our old model did, Sakura-chan," Deidara agreed as he began to comb through her hair with his fingers. He began brushing it and rubbing some kind of cream into the thick pink locks. The soothing motion began to lull her into sleep until Zetsu began testing his camera and a bright flash filled the room.

"I don't think I can do this," Sakura nervously said, fidgeting a little in her seat. Sasori glanced up at her, eyebrows lifting just the tiniest bit.

"Just think 'I'm the happiest girl in the world' and everything will be fine," he said with a shrug.

So twenty minutes later, after Deidara had styled her hair into loose curls and dolled her up with make-up, Sakura found herself much less anxious when the two men helped her to her feet.

"Shoes?" Deidara asked Sasori. The red-head shook his head.

"Her feet are too small. It'll look fine barefoot," he said and the two partners nodded to each other.

They gave her a gentle push to the white backdrop and lights Zetsu had set up against a wall. She stood in front of the camera as a strange sense of excitement filled her. It was strange, since she had never done anything like modeling before, but the feeling she had was something she remembered well. It was this same sense of happy anticipation she felt while dancing. So when Zetsu announced that he would be taking a few test shots, she nodded eagerly.

"Just try to be natural," he vaguely instructed her. So she stood, arms at her sides and feet together, looking straight into the camera. After a couple of flashes, Zetsu sighed and leaned against his tripod.

"Too stiff."

Sakura tried to slouch a little, willing her limbs to loosen up just a little, but under the glaring scrutiny of the camera, she couldn't do anything. She cast a desperate glance around the room and Sasori immediately stepped in. He took Sakura's hand, lifting it to press a light kiss to her palm. Sakura drew in a sharp breath, cheeks flooding with heat. As she looked into his dark gold gaze, the camera flashed several times. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Deidara grin and bound over, throwing his arm over her shoulders. Under each succession of blinding flashes, the duo hugged her and tickled her like it was the most natural thing in the world. Gradually, the plastic smile faded as Deidara's ridiculously corny antics and Sasori's almost ridiculously nonchalant expression overcame her anxiety. Every once in the while, she was shoved back behind the screen, tossed clothes to change into and then dragged back out.

It was when they were on the final outfit that the door opened and Itachi casually peered into the room. She stood in the middle, flanked on either side by Sasori and Deidara, who were each holding one of her hands. Sakura wore a flowing white top dotted with daisies and red ribbons for straps. Paired with it was a pair of calf-length black leggings with white polka dots to make her look somewhat like a retro princess. The same flowers were tucked into her hair and scattered around her bare feet. She laughed as Deidara joked and half-flirted with her, barely noticing as Zetsu took dozens of pictures. The photographer paused as he clicked through the pictures, scrutinizing them with a thoughtful expression. After a moment, he looked up and met her anxious expression.

"Perfect," he simply said, giving her a small smile. Deidara immediately enveloped her in a tight hug, pressing a giant kiss to her forehead. Sasori gave her shoulder a squeeze before he went to Zetsu to shake his hand and thank him for his help.

"I'll get the prints to you by next week. It was good seeing you guys," Zetsu greeted after he had packed up his equipment and slung his large bag over his shoulder.

Sakura stood in the corner just outside the folding screen. The stared down at the gorgeous outfit that made her legs look so very nice and long. With a sigh, she went to slip behind to change back into her uniform. At the beginning of the photo shoot, Sasori had apologetically sat down and re-sewn the buttons back onto her blouse. She touched the white buttons, remembering the shock of the camera's flash blinding her but making her heart pound at the same time.

"That looks good on you," Kisame said, making her jump. He grinned apologetically when she looked up at him with wide eyes, hand clutching her chest.

"You should keep that on when we go out," he continued, gesturing to the feminine outfit. Sakura automatically smoothed her hands over the airy folds as she looked up down. She looked back up at Kisame, shaking her head.

"It doesn't look right on me," she quietly said with a half-smile. Almost immediately, Deidara's face appeared under Kisame's arm, his blue eyes narrowed with indignation.

"You look beautiful, Sakura-chan," Deidara scolded her. Sakura let out a little laugh but Deidara grabbed both her shoulders, his forehead furrowing with irritation.

"Don't laugh. Listen to me, Sakura-chan. No one has **ever** looked so good in Sasori's clothes," the blonde firmly said, shaking her a little. Sakura stared at him, a little confused as to why he was insisting so strongly. When his scowl deepened, she slowly nodded and Deidara's expression lightened as he set her back on her feet.

"All we need to do is fix your hair a little," he declared as he spun her around and twisted her hair into a knot at the base of her neck. He then pulled all the flowers out of her hair, leaving just one tucked behind her ear. Deidara surveyed her for another moment and then nodded.

"You look perfect," he firmly said, poking her in the nose, and went off to clean up his equipment. As Sasori circled the room, retying all the curtains, Sakura looked herself over in the mirror. To her surprise, the girly look did suit her. The pretty girl in the mirror smiled back at her and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. As she spun around once, Itachi's reflection appeared at her shoulder.

"It suits you," Itachi said with a little incline of his head. Sakura watched her cheeks turn a soft shade of pink as she smiled up at him.

"Thank you," she quietly said and watched his lips curl upward. As she looked up into his reflection's eyes, she saw unspoken words lingering there. But when she turned around to speak, she was interrupted.

"Time to go eat, Kitten!" Kisame declared, clapping his hand on her shoulder. Sakura blankly stared at him.

"Come on! We'll treat you to dinner," he insisted, pulling her forward. Before she could protest, her shoes were slapped onto her feet and she was swiftly escorted downstairs and out of the building. When she finally managed to get her bearings, she was sitting in the back of a sleek black car with tan leather seats. Very carefully, she peered into the driver's seat and found Itachi looking back at her. From the passenger's seat, Kisame gave her a toothy grin. Sasori climbed into the empty spot next to her and tossed a paper bag into her lap.

"What's this?" she inquired. When the red-head simply shrugged, she peeped into the bag and found all the clothes from the photo shoot. She gasped as she ran her fingers over the soft folds of the white dress on top. A wide smile stretched her face as she impulsively flung her arms around Sasori in a tight hug. Before her mortification could catch up, Sasori responded by squeezing her with one arm.

After a short ride to the restaurant, the waitress, who clearly was familiar with the men, immediately greeted them. She paused to give Sakura a double-take but quickly recovered her friendly smile and ushered them to a booth. And there, Sakura sat, wedged between Itachi and Kisame while Deidara and Sasori flanked either side.

But before she could pick up a menu, Kisame said, "We'll have 5 udon bowls." Seeing her puzzled expression, Deidara laughed.

"We always order the same thing here. Sorry, Sakura-chan," he chuckled. But Sasori, with a completely serious expression, set his glass of water down on the table and turned to her with a furrowed brow.

"Tell me, Sakura-chan. You're a great dancer, so you've probably performed in front of other people before. So why are you so… unconfident?" he demanded and the entire table went silent. The table jerked as Deidara tried to kick him under the table but hit wood instead. Sakura stared at him with wide eyes, equally shocked and flustered. She could feel her face grow hot as she stared down at her hands.

"Um… it's kind of a long story…" she began, twisting her fingers together.

"Well we certainly have time," Itachi kindly said and his warm voice helped soothe her fraying nerves. Sakura sucked in a deep breath through her nostrils and slowly nodded. She looked up at the four curious faces surrounding her and gave a shaky smile.

"I grew up poor," she began.

* * *

_My parents ran a small café together. They barely had enough to make ends meet but we were happy together. I remember on weekends, I would sit in the shop, greeting customers and making small talk with the regulars. And my mom and dad were so in love. It was like a fairytale to see them so affectionate with each other even after ten years of marriage. _

_But I noticed… that things became a little strange._

_When I turned seven, I noticed that my dad started coming home really late on certain days. He kept saying he had plans with friends and he would leave mom and me alone a lot. At first, my mom didn't say anything because dad did have friends from his high school in Kyoto that sometimes came to visit. But as the months stretched on, I could see my mom getting stressed out. When she thought I was in my room doing homework, she would stand in the kitchen doing dishes and just cry. _

_Just before my eighth birthday, my mom found a business card for a nearby hotel and decided to investigate. She was worried that my dad had gotten involved in some bad loans or something since it was such a high-class hotel we couldn't afford. So one day, after school ended, she took me to this hotel. When she asked the front desk, they said that my dad frequently came to visit and that he was staying at one of the suites upstairs. That poor lady even escorted us up there. But when we knocked, there was no response and we began to get worried so the woman from the front desk opened the door._

* * *

Sakura suddenly stopped speaking, her knuckles turning white as they gripped the table. The silence pressing around her made her eyes sting with shame at the mere memory that sat on the tip of her tongue. But to her surprise, it was Itachi's hand that touched her arm, silently urging her to go on. Taking another deep breath, she nodded again, even as the acid churned in her stomach.

* * *

_It was my dad…. And another woman… doing… you know. _

_My mom was horrified. As… the woman… was… bouncing, she saw my mom and she screamed. That startled my dad, who looked up and saw us standing in the doorway. He pushed the woman off and began to get dressed while trying to explain things to my mom. _

_And my mom, my brave and beautiful mom, shut that door and walked back home, not crying once. I remember a few days later, she was sitting next to me on the couch, sliding divorce papers over to my dad on the coffee table. _

_As my dad was packing his stuff up, I remember watching him from the door. And I asked him, 'Do you still love me, Daddy?'_

_And he just kept his head down, loaded his stuff in the truck, and drove away._

_I heard from my mom that he had married that woman from the hotel. She also told me he died in a car accident a year later._

* * *

Sakura looked up when she heard an odd noise. To her right, Kisame's dark eyes were wide as he tried to stop the tears from flowing. He snorted, trying to stop his nose from running but he was forced to rub his eyes on his sleeve. Sakura couldn't help but crack a smile as a huge, muscular guy like Kisame cried over a sad story. Deidara silently patted his shoulder, obviously used to the big man's surprisingly sentimental side. Kisame sniffled and in as dignified a manner he could manage, he squeezed Sakura's hand before going to blow his nose.

* * *

_My mom sold the café and took up a job at a consulting firm. For some odd reason, she kept being promoted and promoted until the company was paying for her to travel around the world to meet with foreign clients. She earned so much money that within a year, we moved out of our old, cramped apartment and into a nicer building. She bought me all the toys I had wanted, all the clothes I could want, as if she was trying to compensate for her not being there. But I didn't complain because I knew she would always love me._

* * *

"So your mother is…" Itachi began.

"My mom's in England right now. She said she's scheduled to fly to Thailand in a few weeks," Sakura explained. The table fell silent again as the waitress stopped by to drop off their steaming bowls of noodles. As she snapped the chopsticks apart, Sasori poked her in the shoulder.

"You never explained your problem with Itachi's brother," he reminded her. Sakura snorted as she looked into her hot bowl of udon. The men looked up at her with surprise as she met their gazes with a wry smile.

"Sasuke-kun was my obligatory first crush since he was the most popular boy in our middle school. Seventh grade, I decided to confess to him by making him these really beautiful homemade chocolates. I even made them bitter since I knew he hated sweets. When I handed them to him, he just walked off without thanking me. Later, when I was cleaning the classroom, I saw from the window as he dumped all his chocolates, including mine, into the incinerator," she explained, her eyes hard. But her expression softened as she dipped her chopsticks into the bowl.

"It was one of the rare times when my mom was home. I was so upset that I wouldn't leave my room for three days and I wouldn't eat at all. She was worried sick over me and she cried because she thought she had failed as a parent. After that, I decided that I would stop making such a fuss and making my mom worried. So I became the model student, quit dancing and decided to be as plain as possible," she finished with a half-shrug. But as she began chewing her first mouthful of noodles, Deidara shook his head.

"Because you've had unreliable men in your life, you can't trust them anymore," the blonde surmised, rubbing his chin. Beside her, Kisame swallowed quiet sobs as he slurped up his noodles, nodding in agreement.

"And since you haven't felt acknowledged by them, you've lost your self-confidence and twisted your self-image, yeah," he continued. Sakura paused eating to look up at Itachi with a skeptical expression. He nodded, as if agreeing with Deidara's points. She sighed. There was little use arguing with a man studying psychology.

To top it all off, as the waitress stopped by to drop off an extra dish in front of Sakura, she was dabbing the corners of her eyes with her apron.

"Oh, I didn't order this," Sakura said.

"Free of charge," the waitress sniffled as she headed back into the kitchen. Sakura sighed. Her life story had a tendency to make people cry, even if she had stopped seeing it as sad a while ago. It was her life and it had shaped her into the person she was now. In a way, she was glad that her dad's affair was exposed early since she and her mom were living much more happily without the man. But as she looked up into her new friends' sympathetic expressions, she felt a little glad that she had decided to share. As soon as she came to this new conclusion, Deidara slammed his hands onto the table and stood.

"I've decided, that WE," he declared, gesturing to his three teammates, "Will transform Sakura-chan into her true, lovely potential and help her get revenge on that bastard Sasuke, yeah!"

Sakura sank low in her seat as the rest of the restaurant broke into applause. As her face burned with embarrassment, she caught Itachi smirking before he tossed his sweatshirt over her head and hiding her from view.

She didn't know whether to hug Deidara or to have Kisame sit on him.

* * *

Reviews please from my lovely, patient, beautiful readers?


	4. Technically a Crime

It is summer where I live. It is hot and sunny and it makes me want to plant my face in the snow. So I'm sorry, Sakura, but you'll have to suffer through the heat like I have to.

* * *

Fancy Footwork

Chapter 4: Technically a Crime

Sakura pulled Itachi's hoodie over her head to hide her face as she felt her cheeks burn. Deidara was undoubtedly basking in the glow of his selfless heroism as she wallowed in the general shame that usually came with unwanted attention. When the applause stopped, she cautiously peered out from her fortress and everyone's eyes were on her. She groaned as she pulled the hood back over her face, making Kisame laugh.

"Come on, Sakura-chan. Be more enthusiastic when two awesomely fashionable guys offer to help you get revenge on your crush," Deidara joked.

Maybe it was the way he was laughing at her situation or the way he assumed she wanted help. Maybe it was the accumulated horror of being stripped and publicly humiliated all in one day. It was also probably because she had referred to Sasuke as her crush. But something in her snapped. And the good-girl persona she had so carefully constructed cracked in half. An anger that startled her bubbled inside of her chest, churning violently until it exploded outwards. She flung the hood off her head and rose from her seat.

"Listen, you perverted womanizer! Didn't you just hear me pour out my life story and **clearly** explain that I had an **obligatory** crush on him that lasted for maybe a week? So stop saying I have a crush on him when I OBVIOUSLY DON'T!" she exclaimed, jabbing her finger into his chest for emphasis. She blew out an exasperated breath as she collapsed back in her seat. The restaurant was silent as she sat for a moment. Then, the odd anger in her chest settled and the reality of her situation hit her full in the face like a baseball bat. She was too ashamed to face Deidara. Instead, she put her face in her hands and ventured a peek at Itachi.

Although she had only known Itachi for less than a week, she had the feeling that he was rarely surprised. So the fact that he was staring at her made her feel oddly mortified yet triumphant. She heaved a sigh as she looked down at the table. The complete silence only weighed heavier on her shoulders each second until laughter exploded from beside her. Her head flew up and she was met with Deidara beating the table with his fists as he roared with laughter. Tears welled up in his eyes as he threw his head back.

"Haha! 'Perverted womanizer'!" he exclaimed, hooting. This triggered a series of quiet snickers from Kisame that progressed to full-blown peals of laughter. The big man threw his arm over Deidara's shoulder as they shook with mirth.

"How can something so mean come out of a mouth that cute?" Sasori quietly wondered aloud through the noise. Sakura glanced over at him and there was a wry smile on his lips.

It took a while for the two to calm down enough to quiet their laughter. Every few seconds, one of them would snort and purse his lips, trying to hold in the noise. When Sakura finally worked up the courage, she took a deep breath.

"Um… sorry," she quietly said, attracting curious stares.

"That was pretty rude of me," she clarified when Sasori arched an eyebrow at her. All she received were increasingly blank looks until Deidara spoke up.

"Wait. Why are you apologizing for saying what you feel, yeah? It's super-refreshing to finally hear what you have to say, Sakura-chan," Deidara replied with an easy grin. To her surprise, the three other men at the table nodded. Kisame leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table and blocking Deidara from view.

"Do that more often, Kitten. You shouldn't worry about trying to look good around us. We're pretty weird ourselves," he chuckled over Deidara's protests.

It was strangely comforting to hear that from people she had just recently met. But it was the next few words that would always stick with her.

"You're perfect the way you are, Sakura-san," Itachi added with a serious expression.

A strange constriction in her chest started to come loose. The funny thing was that she had started not to notice it had ever been there, like an old bruise. But his words settled in her with a pleasant tingle that spread up to her mouth and stretching it up into a smile.

"Thank you," she whispered, meeting his dark eyes.

"Anyway, I don't care if you don't want my help 'cuz I've been dying to mess with your hair since we first met, yeah," Deidara continued with a smirk. Sakura carefully sidled away from him, her fingers slowly reaching up to cover her head. Kisame chortled as he reached over to pinch Deidara's nose hard.

"Don't talk, Deidara," he laughed.

"Sakura-chan," Sasori cut in through the noise. Sakura's head automatically turned to the left when she heard the red-head's soft voice. The scowl on her face melted away when she saw the apologetic smile tilting his lips.

"This isn't for him. It's for you. Won't you let us try a little?" he quietly pleaded.

That did it.

His gold eyes, so innocent and clear, framed by thick, dark lashes… and the gentle, soft voice asking for her approval…. They broke her. She pulled Itachi's hood tighter over her head as she grumbled a vague "yes". She could have sworn she heard Itachi chuckle but when she looked up, he was looking away so she couldn't be sure.

"Yay! I get to dress up Sakura-chan!" Deidara exclaimed, receiving several strange looks from the restaurant's other patrons. The table jolted as Sasori's foot connected with Deidara's shin.

"How do you manage to make everything sound perverted, Blondie?" Kisame laughed as tears of pain sprang up in Deidara's eyes. The artist opened his mouth, obviously ready to make a witty retort, but his eyes drifted elsewhere. In fact, his jaw hung slack as his eyes zeroed in on the door. Curious, Sakura turned to follow his gaze.

There was a voluptuous woman walking through the open door. Her dark blue hair was twisted into a loose bun and decorated with a white origami flower. She had a pale, small face and heavy-lidded grey eyes. A piercing glinted from under her lip as she spoke. The man who had been holding the door open entered the restaurant, easily sliding his hand around her waist. His high cheek bones and bright red hair were striking, but it was the proud tilt of his head that commanded attention. His silvery eyes roved around the room, eventually locking with Sakura's wide gaze. She felt a sudden chill run down her body and quickly turned her head to hide her face against her shoulder.

"Fuck," she heard Deidara hiss under his breath as footsteps approached their table.

"Nagato-senpai, Konan-senpai," Itachi smoothly said. But as he spoke, she felt Kisame slide closer and wrap an arm around her shoulders. With a physical barrier between her and the strangers, she felt safe enough to at least look. She slowly lifted her head, one centimeter at a time, until she could barely see the two people's faces over Kisame's blue arm. The woman stared back at her, her eyebrows knitting with either irritation or confusion.

"Ah, there you are, Uchiha-kun," the red-head said and Itachi politely bowed his head.

"I was wondering if you would mind doing me a favor," the man began in what sounded like a request. But Sakura glanced over at Itachi's tight-lipped smile and immediately realized that he had no choice. Spooked by the idea that someone was frightening enough to order Uchiha Itachi around, she looked around the table. When she looked up, Kisame's expression was stiff and grim as he kept his eyes trained on the red-head like he might spring and rip Itachi's throat out at any moment. Beside him, Sasori was seemingly engrossed in a magazine, but his eyes periodically flickered up to the two visitors with visible suspicion. And across the table, his expression frozen with horror, Deidara still sat staring at the blue-haired woman. After a few minutes of talking that Sakura completely missed, the man shook Itachi's hand and then left the restaurant with the woman silently trailing after him.

All at once, every person at the table let out a deep breath. Sakura lightly tugged on Kisame's sleeve and he started, almost forgetting that there was a little girl squished in his grasp. He muttered an apology as he lifted his arm, freeing her.

"Itachi-san?" Sakura quietly asked as she tapped on Itachi's shoulder. He seemed incredibly weary as he turned his attention to her. At the unvoiced question in her eyes, Itachi sighed.

"That was Nagato-senpai and Konan-senpai," the Uchiha began. But he caught Deidara's gaze from across the table and he hesitated.

"I'll tell you another time," he softly said. For an instant, his eyes lingered on Deidara's anxious expression and Sakura nodded, signaling that she understood.

The rest of dinner passed uneventfully, although it was marred by Deidara's uncharacteristic silence. Each time Sakura looked up, his gaze was fixed off into the distance, as if reaching for some far-off memory. Kisame's booming laughter did help alleviate most of the tension and by the time dessert was served, she was full and happy. The waitress dropped off a small bowl of anmitsu in front of everyone and Sakura's eyes widened. She immediately dug in, letting out a squeal of delight as the icy, sweet treat melted on her tongue. When the rest of her table was silent, she hesitantly opened her eyes and found four pairs of eyes staring at her.

"Uh… Pinkie?" Kisame hesitantly said. Sakura turned to him, confused as to why everyone was watching her with such interest. It took her an extra moment to process that he had come up with yet another stupid nickname for her.

"Yes?"

"You're so cute… it's almost repulsive…"

"…..Thanks…. I think."

When the check came around, Sakura automatically reached for her bag, mentally calculating how much she would have to pay for her portion. As she laid down her money on the table, she was met with Sasori's blank stare.

"What are you doing?" he asked, drawing everyone else's attention. She turned red as the other men watched her with equal confusion.

"Um… paying for my meal?" she slowly replied. For a moment, everything was silent. And then, snorting, Kisame shoved her money back into her hands and laid down his own wad of cash. When Sakura opened her mouth, ready to protest, Sasori reached across the table to nudge her arm.

"No gentlemen in their right minds would make a pretty lady pay. This one's on us," the red-head smoothly said. That helped take the bite off of her anger, but still, she didn't like the idea of not paying for food she ate. As everyone stood, she quietly counted off a few dollars and shoved them under a plate for tip. She quickly looked around and saw that Itachi had seen her. With a pleading expression, she held up a finger to her lips, silently begging for him not to say anything. After a pause, Itachi simply inclined his head and returned the gesture, promising to keep her secret.

"What time is it, yeah?" Deidara asked as he stretched his arms over his head. He grinned like usual, but the expression seemed a little strained. Sakura watched him with concern as he mock-punched Sasori in the shoulder and earned the usual smack to the back of the head. Rubbing his sore skull, Deidara turned to face her, probably to whine about how violent his friend was. His smile slowly melted when he realized that he wasn't fooling her.

"You're too smart, Sakura-chan, yeah," he sighed, shaking his head. When she continued to look worried, he pulled her into a one-armed hug. He let out another deep breath as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"You're a good kid, Sakura-chan. I'll be fine tomorrow so just… Don't say anything tonight, okay?" he said as he pulled away. Sakura looked up into his face and relaxed her tight expression. She nodded mutely and she could see the relief spread through him.

"Ah, it's almost 10. We should get Sakura-chan home," Kisame remarked, breaking through the moment before it grew awkward. For once, Deidara didn't eagerly volunteer to escort her home while smiling in a suggestive manner. Instead, he shoved his hands in his pockets and jerked his chin toward Itachi, telling him to go as usual.

After a light hug from Kisame and a solemn hand-shake from Sasori (coupled with another quiet apology for the earlier fiasco), Sakura skipped out of the restaurant with Itachi just a few steps behind her. She took a moment to peer into the bag filled with the beautiful clothes Sasori and Deidara had given to her from the photo shoot. A sigh left her as she ran her finger over the silky fabric of the white dress.

"You really like that dress," Itachi observed and Sakura looked up at him. She smiled shyly.

"It doesn't seem like I would, right?" she said as she slowly began walking towards his car. But to her surprise, Itachi shook his head.

"A cute girl liking cute things seems normal to me," he replied as he fell into step beside her. She stumbled as she forgot how to walk for a moment. His words stunned her so much that she gaped dumbly at his back as he continued on. After a few steps, he noticed she was no longer beside him and he stopped.

"Sakura-san?" he called over his shoulder with unmistakable amusement coloring his tone.

"Sorry!" Sakura replied as she hurried to catch up to him. And she could have sworn that just before she reached him, she saw his shoulders shaking with laughter.

* * *

The first half of the spring semester went by quickly. In between student council duties, picking up Ino's slack and finishing all her homework, the days seemed to meld into one big blur of paperwork and note-taking. It was tedious, blocking out the insufferable Hyuuga Neji whenever he made a jab at her and implied that she was incompetent simply because she wasn't from a prestigious family like he was.

Finals weren't a pleasant affair either. For the last two weeks of June, she did nothing but go to school, go to dance practice and study. Sometimes, she forgot meals altogether and caught quick naps on the subway or in between classes. Instead of using water-breaks to chat happily with Itachi and laugh at Kisame and Deidara's daily squabbles, she curled up in a corner with a giant textbook and read with a frightening intensity. But the days of torment had pulled off and finals ended without much of a problem, save for Naruto bawling to her in the middle of the hallway that he had probably failed pre-calculus.

But more than the stress, it was the sheer day-to-day boredom that nearly drove her insane.

It was after school that she felt the color flood back into her life. On Mondays, Deidara came to pick her up on his motorcycle (which, he secretly told her, was named Akane-chan). Tuesdays, Thursdays and the weekends were when she took the subway to KU by herself.

But it was Wednesday and Friday she always looked forward to. Because on those days, since Itachi was an intern at a law firm just two blocks away from her high school, he picked her up in his car and drove them to KU. On those days, she prayed for traffic just so that she could spend more time unraveling the mystery that was Uchiha Itachi. After a few weeks of knowing him, she had discovered that his gorgeous face and deep voice weren't the only good things about him.

Like the first time she sat in his car, she had realized what song his stereo was playing and bolted straight up in the leather seat.

"UVERworld?" she gasped. The corner of his lips tilted upward but he kept his eyes trained on the road.

"You know them?" he inquired. Sakura couldn't control the excitement she felt and all the girly adoration gush out of her at once.

"Know them? I own every album! I really wanted to go to their live in Tokyo last year but I was too busy. I heard it was amazing!" she babbled, her face glowing with excitement. When her words finally stopped, the car felt oddly silent, even with the song playing in the background. She half-expected him to tell her that she was annoying when he didn't say anything for a long time. But when he finally did glance her way, there was a small but kind smile on his face.

"They are a good band. What other music do you like?" he replied.

He listened.

And he held doors open, carried heavy things for her and didn't seem to mind when she rambled about random little topics that didn't really matter.

So that was why, when July rolled around, she found herself jiggling her foot impatiently on Wednesdays and Fridays and rushing to finish her duties a little earlier. But on those rare days when she was bogged down by work, she listened for the quiet tap of his footsteps in the corridor. When the door slid open, like the first time she had met him, her heart beat just a little faster and she couldn't help the smile that slid across her face, no matter how terrible her day had been. And he would sit beside her, patiently waiting for her to finish her work and offering comments to fill in the gaps between her words.

On the last day of the first half of the spring semester, Sakura sat in the passenger seat of Itachi's car with her arms hanging out of the open windows. She closed her eyes and leaned her head out, letting the warm, balmy wind tangle in her long hair.

"Sakura-san?" Itachi called over the hum of music on the radio. Sakura turned around to face him. His dark hair fluttered around his face as he looked in her direction.

"What are your plans after high school?" he suddenly asked. Sakura was startled since it was usually her chatter that initiated their conversations. But she was oddly flattered that Itachi cared enough to ask. She twisted her body around so that she was facing him and crossed her legs in the seat. She still felt the pleasant pull of the wind on the tips of her hair as she thought.

"I want to be a pediatrician," she declared with a hint of pride. To her surprise, Itachi chuckled.

"Of course. You'd be good at that," he simply commented.

Sakura smiled as warmth tinged her cheeks. She sat quietly for the rest of the ride with her head tucked up against her shoulder. The soothing croon of music from the radio washed over her, lulling her into a deep sense of peace. Itachi leaned back in his seat, his right arm draped over the back of her seat and his left hand lightly resting against the steering wheel. Every few minutes, he would look over at her. It felt oddly reassuring; it was like he was checking to make sure she was okay. She felt safe, like she had always belonged there, sitting next to Itachi and watching the dark city whiz past outside.

It was only when she felt Itachi gently shaking her shoulder that she realized that she had fallen asleep.

"Sakura-san, we're here," he murmured. His deep voice reached in through the haze of sleep clouding her mind. A tired sigh left her as she rubbed her eyes and slowly cracked them open. The dome light was on. She squinted against the bright light as she automatically swiveled her head to the left and found Itachi's seat empty. Before she could get too confused, there was a warm hand touching the top of her head. To her right, she found the car door open and Itachi with his right arm resting on top of the car. He leaned over her, blocking out to the warm glow of the streetlight above.

"I'm tired," she groaned as she rubbed her eyes again.

"Well, you can go up to your apartment and sleep there," he replied rather indulgently. Her mind was too exhausted to process the fact that she probably sounded like a cranky 5 year-old after a nap. With Itachi patiently hovering over her, she slung her bag over her shoulder and swung her legs over the edge of the seat.

"Sakura?" Itachi said when she swayed a little, ready to fall back asleep.

"Hmm?" she hummed, not really paying attention. Her eyes slid shut as her head drooped against her right shoulder. Itachi took her hand, helping her to her feet. She took a few fumbling steps and collapsed against Itachi's arm. Had she actually been awake, she would have been extremely embarrassed to be hanging all over him. But she was too sleepy to actually care.

"How did you do on your finals?" he asked as he guided her up the three flights of stairs up to her apartment. He hovered just a step below her, ready to catch her if she wobbled.

"Five," she vaguely mumbled as she shuffled, zombie-like to her door.

"The top 5%?" Itachi inquired as she dug in the bottom of her bag.

"No," she replied as she stuck her key in the lock and turned it with a loud snap. One foot in the door, she paused to look up at him with a sleepy smile.

"Top 5 scores. Good night, Itachi-san."

The door swung shut on his slightly stunned expression. Sakura sighed blissfully as she kicked off her shoes and shed her socks, tossing them in a hamper as she walked past. Her fingers automatically unbuttoned her blouse and unzipped her skirt, throwing her summer uniform in a pile on top of her dresser. She barely managed to pull on an oversized t-shirt and shorts before she collapsed face-down on her bed and fell into what was more of a coma than sleep.

It seemed just as she closed her eyes, a thunderous pounding filled her ears.

"Go away," she groaned as she pulled her pillow over her ears. But when the obnoxious noise continued, she reluctantly got to her feet and made her way to the front door. She didn't even bother to check the peephole before she opened the door, only to be met with an intolerably enthusiastic grin.

"Get ready, Kitten!" Kisame exclaimed a little too happily. Sakura rubbed the back of her hand over her eye, squinting up at him through the sunlight.

"For what?" she inquired, her voice scratchy with sleep. Deidara's head popped in the doorway, under Kisame's arm. His gold hair was damp and held back in a lopsided ponytail. Sakura was startled by his disheveled appearance since Deidara usually took great care to look his best. While she eyed him with confusion, he winked and then spoke.

"We're going for our 45-minute morning run around Konoha. C-"

"Goodbye," she interrupted, slamming the door shut on their faces.

"But Sakura-chan!" Deidara called from outside.

"I'm going back to bed! It's too early!" she shouted back as she turned around.

"We're meeting up with Itachi afterwards," Sasori's voice flatly chimed in. She froze mid-step. Very slowly and quietly, she crept up to the door and just barely pried it open to peek out at the three men standing on her doorstep.

"….Give me a minute," she whispered and then shut the door again.

From outside, she heard Deidara and Kisame explode with laughter. With a blush staining her cheeks, she hurried to her bedroom to change into running shorts and a tank top. As she sat on the edge of her bed, pulling on socks, she listened to the duo's laughter slowly die down. Still yanking her long hair into a ponytail, she swung the front door open. Kisame choked on his laugh when he saw the blush still blooming across her face and Deidara thumped him on the back. She tried her best to ignore the pair's poorly concealed guffaws as she locked her door and turned to face Sasori. Despite his usual expression of boredom, he patted her head sympathetically and took off at a light jog down the stairs. Sakura followed, leaving Deidara and Kisame behind. It was only when they had gone nearly a block that she heard their shouts of indignation from above. She glanced sideways and saw that Sasori was smiling.

Sasori ran at a moderate pace, not too fast and not too slow. But by the end of the 45 minutes, Sakura was wheezing and straining every muscle in her body to keep up with him. To her shame, Deidara and Kisame ran alongside with ease. She puffed out her cheeks, trying to take deep, even breaths like everyone else. But when they finally made it up to the dance studio, Sakura flopped onto the cool floor and remained motionless except for her heaving chest.

"You've killed her," she heard Itachi mildly say as his shadow fell across her face.

"We're doing this every day for the rest of the summer, kiddo. Call it training," she heard Kisame chuckle from across the room. Still gasping for breath, she raised her head enough to shoot a glare at him before collapsing again. The room echoed with the sounds of Kisame's boisterous laughter.

True to Kisame's word, her summers, that had previously been filled with studying and lazing around at home, were now exploding with "training".

Every weekday at exactly 7 am, Kisame and some of the other guys would show up, depending on who had work that morning. Most of the time, though, it was just her and Kisame, jogging through the empty streets of Konoha. By the second week of August, she was easily keeping up with his pace. Her legs were stronger and her lungs breathing without a hitch. After the run, they would drink water and have breakfast at the dance studio before stretching and exercising at the university's gym until noon. It took Sakura a while to realize that she had gone from watching on the sides to dancing without anyone asking her to. At first, it bothered her, until she brought it up in front of Itachi who had assured her that they wouldn't keep someone they didn't want.

At noon, there was usually take-out from one of the nearby restaurants and then rehearsal until five.

Sakura was the only one there all day and ended up collapsing in bed each day as soon as she got home. Sasori, who had a summer job at a famous designer's studio, was only there for the morning run and usually stopped in around 2. Deidara worked at a salon in uptown Konoha so he left just after 1. Kisame had the night shift at a research lab so he left around 4 to get a quick nap before work. And Itachi only made it after 3 on Wednesdays and Fridays. But the rest of the week… she spent all day with him.

At first, it was impossibly nerve-wracking to be exercising and doing things together with the calm and cool Uchiha Itachi. But they fell into an easy rhythm. She found that Itachi did karate on the side to keep in shape but that at the gym, he liked to work mostly on his core and his arms. And after he was done, he **had** to shower; Uchiha Itachi was a very tidy person, she noted. Sakura, on the other hand, spent most of her time on the treadmill and doing stretches.

It was one particularly sweltering day in mid-August that something had changed. She sat, exhausted from her own exercise routine and sipping from a huge bottle of water. Too tired to do anything else, she watched Itachi doing a set of graceful karate kata in the middle of the room. Deidara was lying on the floor beside her, playing a game on his phone. Very suddenly, Itachi was crouching in front of her, making her yelp.

"Do you like the beach?" he inquired. Sakura looked up at him with wide eyes, as confused as she was surprised.

"Um…. Yes?" she hesitantly replied. Immediately, Deidara sprang to his feet, letting out a loud whoop.

"We're going to the beach then, yeah!" he exclaimed, seizing both of Sakura's hands and yanking her to her feet. She shot Itachi a bewildered look as Deidara ran around the room gathering his stuff while yanking her along like a rag doll.

"Um… Deidara-san… what are you doing?" Sakura asked as she was pulled to the door. When the blonde turned around, he gave her an exasperated look, like she was asking the most obvious question in the world.

"Buying you a bikini… duh…"

Before she could protest, she was pulled from the safety of the dance studio and speeding down the highway on the back of Deidara's motorcycle. Four boutiques and a quick stop to her home, she was deposited into the passenger seat of Itachi's car along with a small suitcase and heading to the sea. Baffled, tired and completely opposed to the two-piece she was wearing under her t-shirt and shorts, she hugged her knees to her chest, mumbling darkly under her breath.

"Itachi-san, what about everyone else?" she asked, suddenly remembering Kisame and Sasori.

"We called them. They're heading down right now," Itachi replied.

"…. Don't you all have work?"

"We called in sick…"

"How long are we staying there?"

"Three days."

"Is this technically kidnapping?"

At her last question, Itachi glanced over at her, a smile quirking at his lips. He pulled on a pair of dark sunglasses before turning back to the road.

"Perhaps," he replied with a shrug.

"...I've been abducted," she sighed as she turned on the stereo and let the soothing croon of music wash over them. After about an hour, she stood in front of an enormous beach-front hotel complete with a doorman and valet. She stuttered with protest as Kisame and Deidara dragged her into the gilded lobby. The woman at the front desk fluttered her eyelashes at Itachi when he stepped forward. Sakura bit her tongue to keep herself from saying something nasty to the woman who was obviously showing too much cleavage.

"Three rooms under Uchiha," Itachi smoothly said. The room cards were passed into his hand and they continued to the elevators like a well-oiled machine.

"Why... are we here?" Sakura asked as the elevator began climbing upwards. At the same time, all four men answered.

"Training."

"For fun."

"To relax."

"To dress you up," Deidara answered with a cheeky grin, receiving a slap on the back of the head from Kisame. Sakura tugged uncomfortably at the light green strap peeking out from the top of her shirt.

"To bother me," she sighed under her breath. Four pairs of eyes stared at her, shocked. It was only when she smiled up at them did everyone relax into laughter.


	5. Bikinis, Sand and Aloe

After an amazing time at the beach with my friends, I've discovered two things.

1. I am incapable of getting sunburn.

2. Shady boardwalk food is the best.

Anyway, the usual author's note blahblahblah here. Just enjoy the chapter, all of my lovely readers.

* * *

Fancy Footwork

Chapter 5: Bikinis, Sand and Aloe

"Aren't you swimming, Sakura-chan?" Sasori inquired. Sakura, hugging her legs to her chest under the big beach umbrella, looked up at him with a tight smile. She shook her head, letting her head droop until her cheek pressed against her right knee. To her surprise, Sasori sat on the beach towel beside her with a sigh.

"Is it the bikini?" he asked after a minute. She didn't look over at him as she nodded. She was still wearing a loose white t-shirt and khaki shorts over the mint green bikini that Deidara had picked out for her. She gasped when Sasori lifted the collar of her shirt to peek at her bathing suit. Slapping him away, she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Sorry. It's just that… it looks really good on you," Sasori flatly said. Had it been anyone else, she would have thought he was lying. But Sasori was one of those people who didn't care about social grace and breaking things to people delicately. In fact, as soon as they had arrived on the beach, some other girls wearing tiny scraps of fabric had run up to the four attractive males to flirt, shoving Sakura to the side in the process. Sasori had looked the girls straight in the eyes and simply said "Too much make-up" before walking away with Sakura in tow.

Sakura couldn't stop the little smile that spread across her lips as she took in his compliment. They both looked up as Deidara came splashing out of the water and flying through the sand. He fell to his knees in front of Sakura and clasped both her hands in his.

"Sakura-chan, Itachi and Tuna-chan are ganging up on me, yeah. Come swimming with us," Deidara pleaded with his most dazzling smile. Sakura stared at him and then looked out at the water where Kisame was waving enthusiastically with both arms. She felt the word "yes" forming on her tongue when she saw Itachi lift a hand in greeting too. But when she looked down at her outfit and imagined the embarrassingly revealing bikini underneath, she shook her head furiously. Deidara deflated a little but didn't protest.

"Mackerel-kun! Sakura-chan says no!" Deidara called out to Kisame. The blonde turned to Sakura who buried her face in her arms.

"Hey, don't worry about it. We can stop by a boutique later and pick out a one-piece for you, 'kay?" Deidara assured her, patting her shoulder. Feeling slightly better about herself, she peered up at him and nodded a little. He grinned in response and ruffled her hair.

"HEY! SAKURA! I BET YOU SUCK AT SWIMMING! I BET YOU LOOK LIKE A DYING COW SWIMMING!" Kisame suddenly hollered, cupping his hands around his mouth. Sakura stiffened. Deidara whipped his head around to shoot his friend a glare.

"You're not helping, Sharkie, yeah!" Deidara snarled. Ignoring the blonde, Kisame shouted even louder.

"KITTEN! IF YOU BEAT ME IN A RACE, I'LL BUY ALL YOUR FOOD FOR THE NEXT THREE DAYS!" Kisame shouted. Sakura didn't respond as she simply stared out at his form jumping around in the water.

"Actually, never mind. You couldn't beat me if I was missing an arm," he snorted loudly.

Deidara yelped when Sakura scrambled to her feet and peeled off her clothes, throwing them onto the beach towel. Underneath, she was wearing a mint green bikini with white piping and ties on the sides. (Which, in her opinion, was the worst since the ties left her vulnerable to perverts.) But her competitive streak overran her embarrassment as she picked up a bottle of spray-on sun block and began coating her arms and legs.

"Wait! Sakura-chan! I thought you were embarrassed, yeah!" Deidara sputtered as Sakura began furiously applying sun block to her face and chest. She turned to him while she twisted awkwardly to spray her shoulder blades.

"The only thing I hate more than being embarrassed is LOSING," she replied before she threw the can in his lap and sprinted off into the sand. When she reached the water, she waded up to where Kisame was standing with a cocky grin. The water only went up to his stomach whereas the waves were lapping at her collarbones. Still, she stood her ground and glared up at him.

"First one to the buoy and back," Kisame instructed, pointing to a red blob in the distance. Deidara splashed over to them with a huge smile on his face.

"On your mark! Get set! Go!" he hollered, throwing his arms in the air. But the 'go' was garbled as Sakura dove under the water. The cool waves that washed over her were almost too cold. But her muscles remembered the feeling and after a few moments, everything just felt pleasantly cool. And thanks to the insane "training" she had suffered through, her body felt strong and almost relieved as it cut through the oncoming waves. Her legs kicked furiously as her arms rose and fell, splitting through the water. The blue world around her frothed as her movements spawned billions of bubbles. Just beside her, she caught glimpses of Kisame's powerful arms moving him forward. When the floating base of the buoy came into view, Sakura propelled her body the last few yards and twisted around. Her feet touched the smooth metal for an instant before they pushed off, throwing her into the waves that carried her to shore.

She surfaced at the same time as Kisame, gasping for air and throwing her head back. Blinking a million times to get the salt water out of her eyes, she looked over at Kisame. He was panting too as droplets of water rolled off his arms and shoulders. His blue hair hung like a mop in his eyes until he pushed it back in an irritated sweep of his hand. Sakura pulled strands of wet hair out of her face, squinting against the sudden brightness of the sun.

"Who won, Deidara?" Kisame demanded between gasps. Sakura looked over at the blonde too, curious. Deidara's mouth hung open as he stared at them.

"Tuna-chan… you're buying Sakura-chan food," Deidara finally stated. Behind him, Itachi nodded, looking just as shocked.

"Yay!" Sakura cheered as she threw her hands in the air. When she turned around, Sasori had joined them in the water. His eyebrows were raised, which was more than enough to convey his surprise.

"I can't believe Sakura-chan swims faster than Sushi-kun over here," Deidara sighed, shaking his head. Without warning, Kisame smashed his fist into the water, sending a wave of water racing into Deidara's face.

"Don't call me Sushi-kun, you girly-boy," Kisame snapped.

"Ah. Sorry, Sashimi-chan," Deidara sneered, sticking his tongue out. With a roar, Kisame tackled the blonde, sending waves flying in all directions. Sakura shrieked when a wall of salty water smacked into her face, filling her mouth and nose. She shook her head, trying to clear her ears. She sputtered as she wiped her eyes and saw Sasori coughing as he shot the battling duo a disapproving stare. Itachi was scowling too as he pushed his hair out of his face.

"Ugh. I'm so thirsty now. I'll go buy us drinks," Sakura volunteered as she ran towards the shore.

"Ah, Sakura-chan!" Sasori called out but the sound was swallowed by a crashing wave. Back at the beach towel, Sakura quickly dried herself off as best as she could and crammed her wet toes into her flip-flops. After digging in her bag, she found her wallet and ran to the vending machines up on the boardwalk. It took her a minute with her bad sense of direction, but she finally found the machine for cold drinks and stood trying to choose the sort of beverage Itachi would enjoy. She finally settled on green tea and pushed the plastic button. As she leaned over to pick up the bottle, a hand smacked down on the machine and a huge shadow appeared over her.

"Hey, cutie. What's your name?"

The voice coupled with the golden tan was unmistakably-

"Naruto?"

"H-Haruno-chan?"

Naruto scuttled back a few steps, his hands raised in a passive gesture. Sakura turned to look at him, puzzled. He still had his t-shirt on over his swim trunks so he probably hadn't gone in the water yet. His blue eyes were huge as he stared at her too.

"W-What are you doing here?" Naruto nervously asked. But then his eyes found a drop of water that was gracefully trailing down from the nape of her neck to between her breasts. Sakura followed his gaze and turned scarlet as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm here with friends," she guardedly replied, not meeting his eyes. As if on cue, Sasori appeared over her shoulder, making Naruto jump.

"Sasori-san?" she exclaimed. Over the last month, she had learned that the quiet red-head had a penchant for unexpectedly showing up in the most random places. Her initial surprised squeal and jump reaction was now just a little jolt before her expression relaxed into a smile. Sasori blinked innocently as he took the cold drinks from her and gathered them up in the crook of his left arm.

"Deidara sent me to protect you from 'raging perverts'," Sasori flatly explained. Sakura sighed. As if reading her mind, Sasori looked down at his nails as he muttered, "Though that idiot's the biggest pervert we know," making Sakura giggle. And then, with a completely serious expression, Sasori looked over at Naruto.

"Are you a raging pervert?" Sasori demanded. Sakura clapped her hands over her mouth to stop herself from laughing at the look of utter terror written across Naruto's face. The blonde blanched for an instant as he looked into the red-head's blank eyes.

"NO!" Naruto shouted, his ears turning suspiciously pink.

"Haruno?"

At the sound of the familiar voice, Sakura immediately darted behind Sasori. And to her completely horror, Uchiha Sasuke strode up with his hands stuffed into his pockets to stand beside Naruto.

"Haruno, I know it's you. Don't be annoying," Sasuke sighed, as he arched an eyebrow in her direction. Sakura shrank against Sasori's back, refusing to move. When Sasori glanced over his shoulder, she stared up at him with huge puppy-dog eyes, silently pleading for him to do something. He heaved a silent sigh before he turned back to the two teenage boys eyeing him questioningly.

"You… are you a raging pervert?" Sasori inquired as he looked straight at Sasuke. Sasuke bristled at the sudden question from a complete stranger. He scowled, gritting his teeth and refusing to answer.

"He's not responding. I guess he is a raging pervert. Now, Sakura-chan, it's my duty to protect you from him. Off we go," Sasori calmly concluded as he turned around and tossed Sakura over his right shoulder. Sakura squealed her protest as she was lugged off like a sack of potatoes. Sasori seemed not to hear as he leisurely carried her down the boardwalk. As Sasuke and Naruto grew smaller and smaller, all Sakura could focus on was Sasuke's blank stare of disinterest aimed directly at her cleavage.

When Sakura was deposited on top of her beach towel a few minutes later, everyone was extremely startled when Sakura was bristling with anger. Deidara hovered unsurely over her, shooting Sasori suspicious glares.

"Did you touch her somewhere weird again?' Deidara finally demanded after a few minutes of Sakura's wordless fury. The red-head shook his head and the four men went back to watching Sakura with concern.

"I mean, what's wrong with them!" Sakura suddenly exploded, continuing the internal monologue she had been spitting out inside her head. The men stared at her, baffled. Sakura seemed to suddenly remember that she had an audience of four as she looked up; she wilted a little.

"I'm standing there talking to Naruto and all he's doing is staring at my boobs. And then, when Sasori-san's carrying me away, all Sasuke's doing is staring at my boobs too!" Sakura exclaimed, gesturing wildly in the red-head's direction.

"He could have been a random rapist and they still would've stood ogling me forever!" she fumed, crossing her arms over her chest. She took a moment to think and then turned to Itachi.

"And you know what Sasuke-kun says, Itachi-san?" Sakura continued her rant. Itachi humored her as he sat beside her and looked her straight in the eyes, giving her his full attention. Sakura hunched her shoulders over and threw her head back in the same cocky way Sasuke did.

" 'Haruno, I know it's you. Don't be annoying,' " she sneered, imitating Sasuke's deep voice and adding in a good "hnh" for emphasis. Itachi pursed his lips, trying his best not to laugh at the girl clearly mocking his younger brother with surprising accuracy.

"Who does he think he is? How dare he call me annoying when he can't look away from my boobs!" Sakura snarled, throwing her arms in the air. Deidara burst into laughter, earning a dirty look from Sakura. The force of her evil stare drained the smile from his face until they sat quietly, watching Sakura stew in her black cloud of anger.

After a long pause, Kisame carefully raised his hand like he was a student being punished in class.

"Um… so… let me get this straight. You're angry because two teenage boys, including the one that stomped all over your confession, were staring at your boobs," Kisame flatly said. Sakura nodded once as her lip stuck out in a pout. Deidara heaved a sigh as he flopped onto the sand beside her.

"Sakura-chan, I hate to break it to you but you have some nice boobs. They're not too big, not too small and kind of perky," Deidara said with a shrug. Sakura's eyes grew huge as she curled her knees to her chest to cover it. Her entire face and neck turned bright red as she threw her hands over her face, mortified.

"WHAT IS THIS, GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BOOBS?" Kisame snarled as he brought his sandal down on Deidara's head.

"Ignore that pervert over there, Sakura-chan. What we're trying to say is that you are very cute and wearing a cute bikini. It's sort of natural for guys to be attracted that kind of thing," Sasori explained with a shrug. Sakura cautiously peeked up at him through the safety of her fingers.

"Is that all it takes to get a guy's attention?" she quietly asked. The four men took a moment to look at each other.

"Pretty much," they replied in unison.

"Anyway, Sakura-san, forget my stupid little brother. You came here to have fun, right?" Itachi said in his soothing voice and she couldn't help but worry a lot less.

* * *

Sakura groaned.

If this was Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame's version of fun, she was sure they ran Hell. Each morning: 6:00 wake-up call. 6:30 was an hour-long run on the beach before breakfast. By now, an hour-long run didn't seem like such a daunting task. The problem was the stupid sand that made moving infinitely more difficult. By the end of the run, her calves were screaming and her thighs just about ready to explode from the sheer pain.

"I'm going to die, Deidara-san," she huffed as she collapsed in the chair next to him. The hotel had graciously provided one of their smaller gyms as a dance studio, though she shuddered to think how much Itachi had paid for the privilege. Then again, Sasuke never had a problem using designer bags and ridiculously expensive shoes around school so that Uchiha clan probably didn't mind forking over some extra cash.

Deidara responded by pulling out a bottle of aloe vera gel and wincing as he rolled up his sleeves. The skin on his shoulders was a dangerous shade of red, making Sakura cringe with sympathy.

"Let me," she quickly said when she saw Deidara eyeing his sunburn dubiously. He eagerly relinquished the tube and settled back in his chair. Sakura squeezed the clear goop out and gingerly massaged in his arm. Deidara gritted his teeth but didn't complain as she made sure to cover all of the red. He twisted around in his seat and let her repeat the process on the other arm before she handed the bottle back to him. Deidara looked her up and down and scowled.

"What the hell, yeah. You were crazy pale and now you're a bronzed beach babe," he complained. Sakura glanced down at her arm and found that it had tanned nicely, leaving a warm, summery glow. She shrugged apologetically as she fanned herself. Deidara twisted open a bottle of water and gulped down half the contents in one go. He offered her the bottle next and she reached over to accept before Itachi pushed Deidara's face away and handed her an unopened bottle.

"Be careful, Kitten. Sunburn isn't the only stuff this guy has picked up," Kisame muttered as he walked past. Deidara leapt to his feet with sudden vigor as he shook his fist.

"What are you implying, Sharkie?" he hollered as he ran after Kisame who did a good job in ignoring him.

"Are you alright, Sakura-san?" Itachi asked as he took the chair Deidara had vacated. Sakura twisted the cap open and took a sip of water. She put a hand on her chest, trying to even out her breathing. Suddenly, the bottle was plucked from her hands and placed on the floor. Itachi took hold of her wrists and raised her arms straight over her head.

"Sorry. I'm not doing anything weird," he apologized, seeing her face frozen with shock, "But try taking a deep breath now. It should be easier when your back is straight."

Sakura struggled to keep a straight face as Uchiha Itachi held her hands and watched her very… **very** intently. But when she took another deep breath, the knot inside her chest loosened. It felt so good that she took another deep gulp of air and sighed. Itachi lowered her arms with a small smile.

"Raising your arms improves your posture. Slouching makes it harder to breathe," he explained. Sakura nodded as she took in the helpful tidbit. She retrieved the bottle and took another sip. They sat, watching with mild amusement as Deidara karate chopped Kisame in the back of the head as he took a sip of water. Kisame sputtered before he whirled around and grabbed Deidara in a headlock.

"We're heading home tomorrow morning," Sakura began and Itachi's head turned towards her.

"Any last requests?" he asked as he watched the way she chewed on her lower lip. She smiled nervously. It was always a little flattering and nerve-wracking that he read her so well.

"Um… can we goshoppingprettyprettyplease?" she blurted out at once as she stared down at her feet.

"Shopping?" Itachi repeated, arching his eyebrows. Sakura nervously glanced over at him. What if he thought she was some stupid, shallow girl because of this? But when she met his eyes, they were a little puzzled but warm.

"On the way to the hotel, we passed by this little boutique with this gorgeous bracelet and I really want to buy it," she explained, her voice growing smaller and smaller under his gaze. She started when Itachi suddenly got to his feet.

"Everyone meet back in the lobby in 30 minutes," he called out, drawing everyone's attention. They looked at him questioningly, especially Sakura.

"It's the last day so we're heading into town to buy souvenirs and have dinner," Itachi ordered, not looking at Sakura. She felt her face stretch into a wide smile. On impulse, she jumped to her feet and threw her arms around him in a quick hug before she ran off.

"Itachi… you're blushing," Kisame hesitantly said once the girl was gone.

"….Shut up, Kisame."

After a quick shower, Sakura slipped on one of the summery dresses Sasori had given to her after the photo shoot along with silver sandals and a little matching purse. At exactly 5 pm, Sasori and Deidara knocked on her door. Deidara with his dark jeans and white t-shirt that showed off his biceps looked like a model straight out a fashion magazine. And Sasori with his ear piercings, bleached jeans and black sleeveless hoodie looked like some sort of undercover rock star. Sakura gave them the obligatory girly twirl to show off the dress and received approving smiles.

"Hold on a sec, yeah," Deidara said as he gathered her damp hair into a side ponytail and pinned it in place with bobby pins he had pulled from nowhere. ("Magic," he whispered with a cheeky wink.) After she was deemed presentable, they headed down to the lobby where Itachi and Kisame were already waiting. Sakura had to take a moment to calm herself when she saw that Itachi's white shirt was left half unbuttoned with the sleeves casually rolled up. The glimpses of his taut chest each time he moved were definitely unhealthy for her heart.

Sakura smiled, preparing herself for a pleasant evening with her friends who happened to be rather attractive young men.

What none of them had expected were women to follow them around, whispering to each other as they wondered if the men were celebrities. Sakura took to walking between Itachi and Kisame so she could avoid the jealous glares from passing women. When she heard one particularly venomous woman hiss, "She's so ugly. Who dyes their hair pink?" Sakura felt her eyes sting as hot tears threatened to well up. Sasori leaned forward so that his mouth was just beside her right ear.

"This is good practice. Stand up straight. Smile. Show her how beautiful you are," he whispered before he straightened and continued walking normally.

Sakura took a deep breath. She channeled the humiliation from the biting stares deep into her chest. The shame and frustration welled up enough to make her want to cry. Instead, she glanced up at Itachi. He was watching her, his forehead creased with concern. It was then that she remembered him during dance practice, his strong body moving with grace and precision that made her heart pound.

That was right.

Dance wasn't about looking good or getting the steps perfect. It was about moving the way the music pulled you and losing yourself in the moment.

So she lost herself in music that only she could hear. She held her head high, pulling her shoulders back. It was if just a change of posture let the whispered criticisms roll straight off her back. The murderous glares were still there, but somehow, when she looking the women straight in the eyes instead of looking down and apologizing, they were just people without the power to hurt her.

Sasori nodded approvingly as he watched her spine stretch out and her head tilt back just the slightest bit. Itachi's tense shoulders relaxed a little as he looked over at the girl. But Sasori's eyes were drawn to the subtle sway in Sakura's hips. She had never walked that way before so it hadn't really occurred to him. But Deidara leaned over jerking his chin in Sakura's direction.

"Sakura-chan… has a really nice butt," the blonde whispered, voicing exactly what Sasori had been thinking.

Unaware of her two friends subtly examining her butt, Sakura walked on until she spotted the small corner boutique she had described to Itachi. She tugged on the edge of Itachi's sleeve, pointing excitedly to the store and he nodded, a light smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"Let's meet up in an hour," Itachi said, looking over his shoulder to make sure the two in the back had heard. But he followed Sasori's rapt gaze and found the pair observing Sakura's behind with interest. His eyes narrowed, making Deidara jump and quickly avert his gaze to the sky.

"An hour," Sasori calmly replied like he hadn't been caught staring. Itachi fixed him with a disapproving look before he let Sakura pull him and Kisame into the boutique.

"Welcome!" the pretty, young shop attendant greeted them. Her eyes lingered on Itachi's face for a fraction of a second and she very subtly fluttered her lashes at him. But then Sakura ran up to her with childish excitement etched across her face. At first, the attendant looked startled but, like most people, she was sucked in by the girl's enthusiasm and a matching bright smile spread across her face.

"Um, those bracelets on display in the window… how much are they?" Sakura inquired, pointing to the wooden rack. The attendant stepped out from behind the counter to help her figure out. They stood, looking through the signs until they found the amount and giggling together when they realized how easy it was to spot.

"Just one? That'll be-" the girl began but Sakura shook her head. The girl glanced up and met Itachi's eyes, her expression dimming with disappointment.

"Oh, then one more for your boyfriend?" she asked, gesturing towards Itachi. Sakura's face flared bright red as she shook her head furiously. Itachi chuckled quietly under his breath.

"Oh… then… is he your boyfriend?" the girl asked, her eyes resting on Kisame. With his big muscles, towering height and somewhat sharp teeth, the result was a little overwhelming. Sakura laughed a little as she shook her head.

"I need 4 more. For my friends," Sakura explained and asked for help choosing the colors. A few minutes, after making fast friends with the cashier of the boutique, Sakura paid for the bracelets and skipped outside, the little plastic bag dangling happily from her fingers. On the sidewalk, she abruptly stopped walking and turned around.

"Hands!" she happily ordered. Kisame and Itachi shot each other puzzled looks but they obediently held out their right hands. Sakura dug in her bag, pulled out a bracelet for each of them and tied them around their wrists. She held up her own hand to show off the black threads decorated with polished mother-of-pearl and light green beads. Itachi's was the same only with red beads while Kisame's had purple. Although Kisame grumbled that purple wasn't a very manly color, Sakura caught him staring appreciatively at the bracelet more than once. After stopping in a couple more stores, they traveled to the town square where there was a big stone water fountain.

Deidara and Sasori were already waiting, sitting on the edge of the fountain. Deidara immediately leapt to his feet when Sakura ran up to them, holding out to the two remaining bracelets.

"Orange, yeah!" Deidara happily exclaimed after she tied it on. He grabbed her in a tight hug and planted a kiss on the side of her head before Kisame yanked him away. Sasori graciously accepted his own blue bracelet and thanked her with a one-armed hug. His arm lingered on her shoulder as they stood in a circle. At first, Itachi noticed and thought about saying something, but then he caught the lecherous stares of men walking past and decided Sasori was a much more suitable alternative to some creepy men hitting on Sakura.

"I was thinking we could have dinner at that restaurant over there," Sasori suggested as he pointed at the seafood restaurant across the town square. Everyone agreed since their stomachs were growling. But Deidara was suddenly in front of her, his hands held together as if he were praying.

"I'm really sorry, Sakura-chan. I know you hate when we randomly get clothes for you…" Deidara began and Sakura's eyes immediately narrowed. In the span of one month, she had been forced to accept 11 dresses, 8 pairs of shoes, 6 shirts that she "had to have" and a pair of jeans (which were admittedly gorgeous and insanely comfortable). While all of them suited her well and fit perfectly, it made her feel terrible when they didn't let her pay for them. She had taken to secretly slipping the money into their jackets and bags when they weren't looking but most of the time they caught her.

"But you don't understand, Sakura-chan. This dress was **made** for you," Deidara insisted as he reached into a bag sitting at Sasori's feet. Sakura opened her mouth, ready to scold him, but all the words went flying out of her head when she saw what he was holding.

It was a white sundress with red polka dots and a red ribbon running around the waist. There were four tiny buttons in the front that were in the shape of lady bugs. With shaking hands, she let Deidara place it in her hands. She stared down at it wordlessly until her fingers began stroking the soft fabric.

"It wasn't expensive. **Please** please please please take it," Deidara pleaded. Sasori's arm, that she hadn't realized was still around her, gave her a light squeeze. She wanted to refuse or to at least whip out her wallet and hand over some money. With a guilt-filled groan, she hugged the dress to her chest and nodded.

"Thank you so much," she said as she smiled ruefully.

After a pleasant dinner filled with laughter, they strolled down the boardwalk before retiring to their rooms for the night. At 6 am, Sakura dragged herself out of the ridiculously soft hotel bed and into the bathroom to wash up before she took her suitcase and took the elevator down to the lobby. At first, she felt silly still wearing her monkey-print pajama pants that she had bought as a joke with Deidara the week before, but then Kisame, still wearing his matching pants, lumbered out of the elevator and greeted her with a yawn. Itachi followed after, wearing jeans and a t-shirt and not looking any less gorgeous than usual. Sasori and Deidara were next, looking impeccably fashionable and handsome as ever. Sakura glowered when they greeted her with perfect smiles and showed off their perfect not-bed head.

"Deidara and I've got to head to school so we'll go together," Sasori said.

"I'm going home and sleeping," Kisame grumbled.

"I'll drop off Sakura-san then," Itachi said and she spared him a tired smile. With a lot more yawning and dragging of feet from Kisame and Sakura, they went their separate ways in the parking lot. Sakura tossed her suitcase in the back seat and climbed into the passenger seat, promptly curling up and dozing off again. When she woke again, they were already on the highway.

"Awake?" he greeted her when she blearily lifted her head and looked out the window.

"Sorry… I'm not a morning person," she mumbled.

"That's alright," Itachi simply replied. They sat quietly, listening to the hum of the air conditioner. Sakura glanced into the back seat and saw her new dress poking out of the top of her bag and scowled.

"I wish they would stop spending money on me," she sighed mostly to herself.

"They have their reasons," Itachi assured her in a tone that made her forehead crease.

"Reasons?" she repeated, baffled.

"Sasori has cousins around your age, I believe. He's very fond of them but because of family troubles, he doesn't get to see them often. Deidara grew up without a mother or siblings. Kisame has a younger brother but since their parents' divorce, he hasn't been able to see him," Itachi listed off. Sakura's eyes widened as she looked back at the dress. Suddenly, she felt a little bad for giving Sasori and Deidara such a hard time about it.

"Oh," she just said, not knowing what else to say. Itachi nodded.

"Indulge them a little, Sakura-san. It means a lot to them that they get to spoil you a little," Itachi continued. He thought for a moment and then glanced over with an unreadable expression.

"I think you could use some spoiling," he commented rather bluntly before turning on the radio to fill her pensive silence.

When they stopped in front of her apartment building later, Sakura heaved a tired sigh.

"Home sweet home," she said a little sadly as she imagined the empty rooms and the echo of her own footsteps. Her mother had called a few days before, apologizing furiously as soon as Sakura had picked up the phone. She had been scheduled to stay in Japan for about two months, but she had received a sudden assignment to meet with clients in Canada. She would be flying straight from England to Vancouver. Sakura had tried not to sound too annoyed, but it had become such a regular occurrence that Sakura was more used to her house without her mom than with her. Still, it was so lonely returning to a silent home and eating meals alone at a table built for four. But when she reached for the door handle, Itachi suddenly locked the car and began driving down the street.

"Itachi-san?"

"I was going to visit my parents today. Sasuke's still down at the beach so it should be fine."

"What?"

Itachi parked the car in a driveway and looked over at her with the smile that made her heart melt into a little pile of goop.

"Welcome to the Uchiha household," he said. Sakura slowly turned to the window and saw an adorable two-story house complete with flowerbeds out front and a recently-mowed lawn. When the front door opened, Uchiha Mikoto waved at them and Sakura let her head hit the dashboard.

"Don't I get a say in this?" she grumbled.

"Of course," Itachi said, opening the car door. Sakura looked up at him hopefully but a mischievous smile was curling his lips.

"You get to say yes."

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him and he let out a startled laugh.

* * *

Please review in anticipation of more awkward and cute ItaSaku fluffiness.


	6. Bowtie Charisma

I'm sorry guys. I had everything done last night, but when I went to upload it, there was some nonsense about the server timing out.

I get the feeling that Itachi is bordering on a little too nice in this chapter, but let's just say that it's only for Sakura, okay? Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

Fancy Footwork

Chapter 6: Bow-tie Charisma

Sakura considered refusing to get out of the car. After all, it had been nearly four years since she had come anywhere near the Uchiha household. In elementary and middle school, Sakura had always volunteered to drop off Sasuke's homework when he was sick. Or when her mom needed to give something to Sasuke's mother, Sakura had always complied happily. Her anxiety must have shown pretty clearly because Itachi lightly poked her forehead.

"Relax," he told her. It was impossible not to feel reassured with him smiling at her like that. So she obediently got out of the car and followed Itachi to the front door like a lost puppy.

"You're early," Mikoto happily said as she hugged her son. After she released him, she noticed Sakura and started.

"Oh my! Is this Haruno Sakura-chan?" Mikoto said with wide eyes. Sakura bowed respectfully.

"Hello, Mikoto-san."

"You've gotten so pretty!" Mikoto exclaimed, making Sakura blush. Mikoto turned to her son with a crafty smile.

"Itachi-kun, what are you doing with Sakura-chan?" Mikoto inquired, poking his shoulder. Itachi sighed and gave her an exasperated smile.

"Sakura-san's mother is away on a business trip. I thought she would feel lonely in her home all by herself so I invited her over," Itachi explained. At the word "invited" Sakura rolled her eyes at him. Mikoto's face pinched with worry as she looked Sakura over.

"Oh… How is Kirie-chan been?" Mikoto finally asked. Sakura blinked. She had almost forgotten that Uchiha Mikoto had been her mother's upperclassman in college.

"She's good. She's always liked travel," Sakura replied, reciting the polite answer everyone seemed to expect from her. Mikoto nodded and Sakura nodded back, feeling a bit awkward with the growing silence. Itachi coughed quietly and Mikoto seemed to come out of her trance.

"Goodness! How rude of me to leave you standing outside. Come in!" Mikoto said, returning to her cheerful, hospitable self. Sakura stood in the open doorway. Years of standing at the door just to get a peek at Sasuke's gloomy face as she handed him his homework seemed to rush out and smack her straight in the face. Still, it would be stranger to linger outside so she began following Mikoto inside. But Sakura froze when Itachi, who was politely holding the door open, arched his eyebrows at her. She stared at him blankly until Itachi sighed and reached over to tug at the front of her shirt. Still puzzled, she looked down at her oversized t-shirt and monkey pajama pants. Her eyes widened as she looked back up at Itachi. She flapped her hands as she silently freaked out over her disheveled appearance. Itachi chuckled a little as he lifted his car keys and unlocked the doors, gesturing for her to go.

"Mom, is it alright if Sakura-san uses the bathroom? She had to wake up early today," Itachi called into the house as Sakura rushed to the car and yanked the back door open. She hurriedly unzipped her suitcase and picked out a somewhat presentable outfit that wasn't completely covered in sand.

"Bathroom?" she heard Mikoto repeat. Sakura glanced up and saw Itachi mime washing his hair.

"Ah! Of course!" came Mikoto's laughing reply and Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. She stuffed the clothes into her shoulder bag before she shut the car door and hurried over to where Itachi stood.

"You can use the guest bathroom upstairs," Itachi said as he led her inside the house and she shut the door behind them.

The dark, polished wood floors and the pastel colors washed over Sakura like a breath of fresh air. She stood in the living room, taking in the furniture that looked like something out of a home décor magazine. The vases of fresh orchids by the front door let out a sweet but subtle scent. Pairs of men's shoes were lined up neatly by the door. Sakura slipped off her sandals and carefully arranged them next to Itachi's.

As she followed Itachi further into the house, she caught sight of a wall covered in picture frames. She stopped in her tracks as she saw a portrait of a little boy who looked somewhat like Sasuke. But his dark hair was pulled back in a short ponytail and his eyes were a softer shade of brown. She spotted the blue sweater-vest over a white collared shirt and matching blue bow-tie and she couldn't stop the giggle that escaped her mouth.

"So cute," she cooed as she felt Itachi look over her shoulder.

"You think so?"

Sakura glanced back at him with an almost indignant expression.

"Look at the bow-tie, Itachi-san! And those chubby cheeks!" she explained, poking at the picture. To her surprise, Itachi's face turned a little pink and he abruptly looked away.

"My mom had a thing for bowties when I was a kid. I still hate them," he quietly said before he took off down the hall. Sakura turned back to the picture and then looked at his retreating back.

"Itachi-san, that's you?" she gasped as she ran after him. He refused to answer, even after she badgered him about it all the way up to the guest room at the end of the hall on the second floor.

"There's a door to the bathroom right next to the closet. If you lock the door to the bedroom, no one should be able to get it so don't worry," he instructed her as he held the door open for her. Sakura giggled a little.

"Okay. Thank you, Itachi-san," she replied, subtly giving him the cue to leave. He lingered for another moment, as if he wanted to say something else. His eyes briefly checked the empty hallway behind her, checking to make sure nothing was going to pop up. Sakura waited, her hand resting on the doorframe.

"I'll be downstairs," he finally said before heading down the hall. Sakura shook her head. Uchiha Itachi being the protective sort was something she had never imagined. But she put that thought in her growing archive of Itachi's unexpected but good qualities. As soon as she set foot in the guest bedroom, a sigh left her. The walls were a soft shade of powder blue that made her think of the clear skies on the beach. In the center of the room was a simple double bed. The flower-print sheets were neatly made, like a hotel maid had swept through. Everything was perfectly arranged from the clean linen curtains to the vase filled with more orchids sitting on the dresser. She wondered how Sasuke could always have such a sour expression on his face when his home was so…. Perfect.

The adjoining bathroom was small but clean. Sakura sparingly use the French shampoo and conditioner provided before standing under the warm spray. A few minutes later, she shimmed into her favorite skinny jeans and a loose gray t-shirt with white stripes running across her stomach. She sat on the edge of the bed and towel-dried her hair. She could hear the vague sounds of pots and pans in the kitchen and the low hum of a washing machine from somewhere nearby.

Fully dressed and squeaky clean, Sakura stepped out of the bedroom and made her way down the hallway. She stood at the top of the stairs when she heard Mikoto's laughter.

"That's terrible. Poor Kisame-kun must have been embarrassed," Mikoto said, accompanied by the sounds of the refrigerator opening and closing. Sakura sat down on the top step. Somehow, it didn't feel right for her to intrude on Itachi's time with his mother. She stared down at her toes, wondering when was the last time she had sat down and had a real conversation with her own mother. A year? Maybe two.

"I'll go check," she heard Itachi say. His footsteps travelled from the kitchen and down the hall, stopping at the foot of the stairs.

"Sakura-san?"

Sakura's head shot up at the sound of Itachi's voice. The lights were dim in the hallway. His long shadow stretched out, in front of him, twisting up the steps. Her gaze was drawn to his brown eyes as they looked up at her. She shot to her feet.

"Sorry! I was just a little tired," she mumbled. She hurried to the bottom step and made to skirt around him. But Itachi's hands reached out to grip the stair rails, caging her. She could hear his calm breaths as he stood not saying anything. If she concentrated, she could feel the heat from his strong arms. Her eyes darted around frantically, looking anywhere but at him.

"You're crying," he finally observed. His voice was low and she felt it before she heard it. It rumbled deep in his chest as he hovered over her, nose inches from brushing hers. Sakura touched her cheeks and found them wet with warm tears. She hurriedly wiped them away with the backs of her hands.

"Oh. I guess that's from when I yawned," she breathily said, not meeting his eyes. Her lie sounded pathetic even to her own ears.

"Sakura-san," he said, his voice unbearably gentle. She bit her bottom lip as her chest threatened to heave in the beginnings of tears.

"Sakura-san, what's wrong?"

"I-" she began but a soft sob hiccupped its way up her throat. She twisted her fingers into the hem of her shirt as a few tears leaked out of her eyes.

"Your home and…" she managed to whisper before another hiccup interrupted her. Itachi shifted to gently hold her shoulders. The weight of his big hands and the comforting warmth filled her chest with an unexpected bitterness.

"I feel so ugly. I'm so jealous of everything," she blurted out as a deluge of fresh tears streamed down her cheeks. She covered her face with her hands as she tried to muffle her sobs. Suddenly, Itachi's soothing presence became unbearably embarrassing. She tried to back away, to hide these terrible feelings that horrified even herself. She wanted to cry in the privacy of the bathroom. She would weep until her twisted heart was satisfied and then pull herself together so that she could go back to everyone with her usual smile.

But Itachi didn't seem to want to let go.

"Sakura-san, you're not ugly at all," he softly said, making her cry even harder. He applied pressure to her shoulders, making her sit on the bottom step of the staircase. He crouched in front of her and sighed, running his hand through his dark hair.

"I'm sorry," Sakura whimpered as she rubbed at her cheeks. Her shoulders jerked as another sob forced its way up her throat. She bit her lip, trying to keep quiet. When she managed to calm down a little, she hesitantly looked up and found Itachi still crouching in front of her.

"You need to stop apologizing for everything you do," he ordered her. Sakura swallowed the apology that automatically formed on her tongue.

"And you need to stop being so… so…" he paused, struggling to find the phrase. Sakura squeezed her eyes shut, already anticipating the words.

'_Annoying. Stop being so annoying, Haruno.'_

That was all Sasuke had ever said since they were little. Even now, even when he didn't say anything, she could see the disapproval in his eyes. Every little thing she seemed to do seemed to annoy everyone.

"You need to stop being so selfless," Itachi finally said.

Sakura's eyes popped open. She stared up into Itachi's face that was pinched with irritation.

"…You don't think… that I'm annoying?" she whispered, her voice still ragged from crying. It was Itachi's turn to be surprised. It was completely silent for a moment. And then, Itachi's face darkened into a scowl. He raised his arm and poked her hard in the middle of the forehead. Tears sprang up in her eyes from the unexpected sting as she looked up at him, confused.

"Sakura-san, I said before that you should let others spoil you more. Let me rephrase this. You need to stop thinking about others and think about yourself," Itachi said, taking her shoulders and shaking her a little. Still a little more than stunned, she looked at him blankly.

"You have every right to want a warm home with a loving family. You don't need to feel ashamed for being human, Sakura-san," Itachi explained, his tone a little exasperated. He paused for a moment and then his expression softened.

"I'm not saying this to make you cry again," he said, sounding a little apologetic.

"Oh!" Sakura said as she quickly lifted her hand to wipe away the tears that she hadn't realized had begun flowing again. She sniffed and let out an uncomfortable laugh as she tried to cover her face again.

"Sorry," she quietly said as she peeked up at him through her fingers, "Sasuke-kun once told me that I look unsightly when I cry." To her surprise, Itachi snorted.

"My brother says a lot of things that you should ignore," he replied, shaking his head. After a pause, Itachi stood. He offered his hands to her and she accepted, letting him pull her to her feet. Even though she was standing one step above him, he was slightly taller than her. Itachi smiled at her and she mustered her most cheerful expression.

"I'm sorry. I think I just made you more upset," Itachi sighed. He reached up and lightly touched under her left eye where it was undoubtedly swollen from crying. This time, when Sakura laughed, it didn't sound as strained.

"No. Thank you for listening and… not laughing at me, Itachi-san," Sakura said. They stood together until Sakura realized that his hand was still cupping her cheek and she flushed bright red.

"Um… y-your hand…." She stuttered. Itachi reached out and ruffled her hair.

"Go wash your face and come back downstairs. My mom says she wants to ask you something," Itachi simply said before he turned around and slipped back into the kitchen. Sakura lightly touched the top of her head where the warmth of his hand lingered before she hurried up the stairs.

After ten minutes of splashing herself in the face with icy water (and slapping herself a little for looking so childish in front of Uchiha Itachi), Sakura followed Itachi's instructions and cautiously poked her head in the kitchen.

"There you are! What kind of food do you like? Western? Japanese?" Mikoto asked with her perfect, motherly smile.

"Um… I'll eat pretty much anything, Mikoto-san," Sakura replied. Itachi motioned for her to join him at the island and she complied, sliding onto one of the cushioned stools. He glanced over at her with a questioning gaze, silently asking if she was alright. Sakura nodded as she watched Mikoto bustle around the kitchen with pots and pans.

"I'll chop the onions," Sakura volunteered when she noticed Mikoto place the vegetables on the counter. Mikoto looked surprised as she took a moment to wipe her hands on the front of her apron. Then, her expression melted into a grateful grin as she slid the cutting board over to Sakura along with a sharp knife.

"Be careful, Sakura-san," Itachi said as she hefted the knife in her hand, testing the weight. Sakura looked over at him and arched an eyebrow, insulted.

"I live alone, Itachi-san. Do you really think I can't handle a knife?" she replied with a smile as she set an onion on the board and neatly chopped it in half. It was easy for her to peel off the skin and dice everything into neat cubes. Cooking was easy. But it was nice to do it in a warm kitchen bustling with people instead of the beautiful but silent kitchen back at her apartment. Mikoto took a moment to survey her work and immediately praised her for her culinary prowess. She was then appointed "master of cutting" and given the rest of the vegetables to dismantle.

"You like cooking," Itachi observed as she plucked the stem from a mushroom. She didn't look up as she sliced the cap into uniform pieces.

"I do. But desserts are my specialty," Sakura admitted as she went to grab another mushroom. Itachi raised his eyebrows at her but didn't seem too surprised.

"What's your favorite dessert?" he asked. Sakura paused for a moment to think. She looked down at the mushroom in her hand with a pensive expression and then back up at Itachi.

"Cheesecake," she replied with a grin before she went back to chopping.

Breakfast was a delicious, fluffy vegetable omelet paired with herbal tea and half a grapefruit. Sakura insisted on helping with the dishes until Mikoto reluctantly agreed. Instead, Mikoto was forced to sit at the island counter, sipping on tea and relaxing while Itachi and Sakura stood at the sink.

"You're such a good person, Sakura-chan. Sasu-chan won't even take out the garbage when I ask him to," Mikoto said. Sakura, who had been dutifully scrubbing at a plate with a sponge, glanced over her shoulder to give Mikoto a shy smile. She handed Itachi the now clean plate and he wiped it dry before placing it in one of the cabinets. The dishes were done quickly and Sakura even took the time to wash out the sink, earning further kudos in Mikoto's books.

"So, what are you two planning on doing?" Mikoto asked with another one of her sly smiles as Itachi and Sakura leaned against the counter.

"Mom," Itachi sighed, shaking his head again at his mother's teasing.

"Um, Mikoto-san," Sakura spoke up, drawing Mikoto's attention, "That photo of the little boy with the bowtie… who is that?" Itachi blanched as he realized what she was talking about. Mikoto tapped her chin as she thought for a moment. Then, her face lit up.

"Of course! That's Itachi-kun from the 3rd grade. It was during one of our family parties!" Mikoto exclaimed. She got to her feet and hurried off to the living room. Sakura hesitantly looked up at Itachi who had his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry…. You were just so cute," Sakura apologized. Itachi slowly looked up at her guilt-ridden expression. He lightly pinched her nose.

"Go back to smiling. It looks better on you," he remarked with a little half-smile of his own that sent her heart careening against her ribcage. Mikoto exploded into the kitchen with a stack of photo albums. She dropped them all on the counter except for one that she opened and set in front of Sakura. Sakura's eyes widened as she saw 8-year-old Itachi with his adorable bow-tie sitting on a bench with 5-year-old Sasuke.

"So… chubby!" Sakura squealed as she stared at the photo. Mikoto leaned across the counter to admire the picture too.

"Aren't they adorable?" Mikoto cooed and Sakura nodded furiously. Sasuke was clutching a half-eaten cookie in his tiny hands and offering it up to Itachi. Sakura looked up at Itachi who was looking up at the ceiling with slightly pink cheeks, refusing to meet her eyes.

"You two look like you were close," Sakura said.

"They were inseparable. Itachi-kun had to go to the bathroom and Sasu-chan did too. Sasu-chan was hungry and so was Itachi-kun," Mikoto said fondly as she smiled down at the album. She flipped through the rest of the photos, showing off her sons' cutest poses and giggling together with Sakura at Sasuke's ketchup-smeared cheeks. Before Sakura realized it, she was laughing and talking with Mikoto like she was her own mother. A little sadness tugged at the edge of her heart at the thought and Itachi seemed to notice because his own smile faded.

"I'm okay," she assured him.

And she really was.

Mikoto showed her all 12 of the Uchiha family's photo albums and by the end of it, Sakura was laughing uncontrollably at one picture of baby Itachi wearing bunny footsie pajamas. Mikoto was so pleased by Sakura's obvious enthusiasm that she gave Sakura a copy of the photo that Sakura proceeded to tuck into her bag, ignoring Itachi's half-hearted protest. Lunch was delicious grilled fish and miso soup along with onigiri filled with her favorite pickled plums.

"I should get going soon," Sakura said as she finished washing the dishes for a second time (much to Mikoto's protest). Mikoto looked a little sad as she agreed. Sakura slung her bag over her shoulder and slipped on her shoes before she waited for Itachi to put on his own shoes.

"Wait, Sakura-chan. Have this," Mikoto called out as she hurried out from the kitchen. She handed Sakura a plastic bag carrying Tupperware containers of leftover onigiri and some side dishes. Sakura's eyes grew wide as she took in the food.

"Thank you," she whispered as she looked up at Mikoto's motherly smile.

"Come back anytime, Sakura-chan," Mikoto said as she enveloped her in a tight hug. After a few more parting words, Sakura climbed into Itachi's car and set the bag of leftovers on her lap. The stereo was on, as usual, filling the car with soft strumming from an acoustic guitar.

"I feel like I traumatized you a little," Itachi apologized on the way back to Sakura's apartment.

"No. I'm grateful. I haven't felt that welcome anywhere for a long time," she replied as she looked out the window. She met Itachi's worried gaze with a soft smile.

"Thank you, Itachi-san," Sakura simply said and his expression cleared.

"See? I told you that you look better smiling."

He dropped her off in front of her apartment complex and waited for her to unlock her door before driving away. She had never noticed that he did so and she was touched by his concern. After stashing Mikoto's food away in the refrigerator, Sakura stood in her quiet home and sighed. It seemed that after spending just a few hours in the lively Uchiha household, the apartment she shared with her mother felt even colder than usual. But never one to wallow in self-pity, Sakura refused to sit and lament over her problems. She vacuumed the entire place, did her laundry, scrubbed all the windows clean and reorganized the pantry for good measure. Thoroughly exhausted, Sakura sat down on the sofa with some of her unfinished summer homework and promptly fell asleep.

The next day was Monday, which meant that ridiculously cheerful Kisame, accompanied by a much less chipper Itachi, dragged her out of bed for the morning run. Afterwards, she sat munching happily on half a bagel. She wiggled her bare toes against the cool floor, letting the air conditioning wash over her. Kisame sat beside her as he gobbled his way through his second French toast, scrambled egg and bacon sandwich. He made a face as he accidentally bit into the aluminum foil wrapping. She had offered to make him one as a joke at the beginning of the summer and now they were an addiction for him.

"Seriously, Kitten, these are the best things I've ever had," he blissfully said between bites. Itachi entered the studio and immediately eyed Kisame with disapproval over the rim of his coffee cup.

"I'm concerned for Sakura-san's grocery bill with all the food you're eating," Itachi remarked seriously. Sakura giggled as she watched Kisame stuff his cheeks like a chipmunk.

"My mom had them once when she stayed in New York City for a big deal. When she got home, she begged me to make them all the time," Sakura laughed as she remembered her mom's desperate groveling. Kisame grunted approvingly as he unwrapped his final sandwich and attacked it with gusto. Itachi sat down across from them, completing their triangle of breakfast consumption.

"What are we working on today, Itachi-san?" Sakura inquired before she took another chomp out of her bagel. Before he could answer, the studio door burst open and Deidara came charging through with Sasori in tow.

"We got the goods, yeah!" Deidara exclaimed, setting his bag down with a suspiciously heavy noise. Sakura scooted over to hide behind Itachi as she noticed the measuring tape hanging from Sasori's neck. She nibbled nervously on the remnants of her bagel as Deidara sat on the floor and unzipped his bag. He pulled out a bundle of black fabric and set it on the floor before he unrolled it like a scroll.

"Scissors?" Kisame asked out loud, voicing Sakura's own confusion.

"I told you, yeah. I've been dying to cut your hair since we met. And we need you for one more photo shoot," Deidara declared, as he looked up at Sakura and wiggled his fingers at her. Sakura munched on her last piece of bagel, cheeks puffing out as she reached up to touch her hair. She swallowed her food and then eyed the pink strands now reaching to the middle of her ribcage.

"I've cut a lot of people's hair before. I know what I'm doing," Deidara added hopefully, seeing her thoughtful expression. Sakura ran her fingers through her hair once before she looked up at Deidara and nodded.

* * *

When Uchiha Sasuke got home from spending a week at the Uchiha family's beach house, he was promptly greeted by his older brother poking him so hard in the forehead that a little round bruise formed a few hours later.

"Ow! What the hell, Nii-san?" Sasuke spat, rubbing his head.

"Sasuke, a man that makes a woman cry is terrible. But a man who insults a crying woman is the worst," Itachi simply said before he poked Sasuke again for good measure and walked off.

Sasuke stared blankly at the empty space in front of him.

"What…. The hell just happened?"

* * *

The last two weeks of summer break passed quickly. In between Kisame's brutal training regime and finishing up her homework, Sakura had her hands full. Still, everything settled into a familiar rhythm. Weekdays were dominated by dance practice and her once quiet weekends were now filled with late-night fast food runs and visits to the Uchiha household on Sundays. Mikoto seemed to sense Sakura's discomfort about Sasuke so she made it a point to have him out of the house then, which made Sakura both grateful and embarrassed.

From Uchiha Mikoto, Sakura learned to make some amazing zaru-soba and the perfect iced tea. Sakura, in turn, whipped up baked goods that made the entire house smell of heavenly sweetness. The look of sheer awe on Itachi's face when he first laid eyes on her triple layer chocolate cake had made her laugh. On her second visit to the Uchihas', Sakura first met Uchiha Fugaku, who was a stern man with Itachi's eyes and a mouth that seemed permanently welded into a straight line. She had entered the house with Itachi, still laughing about some backhanded compliment he had made about Deidara's popularity with women. While Mikoto had greeted them warmly, when Sakura respectfully bowed to Fugaku, he had barely glanced at her over his newspaper. But after a taste of her French toast, scrambled egg and bacon sandwiches, he had warmed up to her considerably, even offering her to stay for lunch.

But the days bled into each other too quickly until it was the Sunday night before school started again. Sakura sat on the back porch of the Uchihas' house, watching the little koi pond in the yard. She stared up at the stars and enjoyed the warm breeze that swept through her shorter hair.

"Sakura-san," Itachi said as he stepped onto the porch and handed her an ice pop.

"Thank you," she sang before she took a big bite of the cool treat. She froze when she noticed Itachi chuckling as he sat down beside her.

"What's so funny?" she asked, bewildered.

"You used to be so shy and jumpy around me," he explained. Sakura wrinkled her nose at him before she took another big chunk out of her ice pop.

"You're the one that told me to relax, Itachi-san," she reminded him and Itachi nodded. But her expression became a little wistful as she looked up at the dark sky.

"I start school tomorrow," she suddenly said.

"Are you nervous?" Itachi asked. Sakura's eyebrows shot up, questioning him.

"You're not the same as you were a month and a half ago," he pointed out, motioning towards the easy way she dangled her legs over the edge of the porch and her new haircut. She touched her hair, still a little self-conscious. Instead of parting her hair in the middle, Deidara had cut it so that her bangs swept across her forehead. He had pointed out that she was lucky to have a larger forehead since girls with narrow foreheads couldn't have such nice bangs. He had cut almost 6 inches of her hair before layering it until it had a tousled almost bed-head-like appearance. Now, it went just to her shoulders and fell into her eyes a little.

"I like it," Sakura defiantly declared as she pointed to her head. Itachi looked surprised.

"I do too. I'm saying it's a good thing," he clarified and Sakura smiled at him. She tossed the empty popsicle stick into the open wrapper and leaned back on her hands.

"I'm a little worried," she finally admitted. When she glanced over at him, Itachi moved his arm and she could see his bracelet with red beads reflect light from the porch light. She couldn't help but grin broadly as she looked down at her own bracelet. She started a little when Itachi put his hand on top of her head. When she stared up at him with big eyes, he was smiling again.

"Don't be," he simply said.

So the next morning, she did just that.

"Good morning, Ino-chan," Sakura said as she walked into the classroom. Ino, who was busy hanging all over Shikamaru and complaining, replied with a brief "hey". Over summer break, Ino had gotten fed up with her new boyfriend's clinginess and dumped him. Although Sakura suspected that her friend was doing it all to attract Shikamaru's attention, from the way that he was asleep at his desk, she could tell that it wasn't working too well.

Sakura hung her bag over the back of her chair before settling in the plastic seat. She crossed one leg over the other and fixed the folds of her skirt. A few minutes later, Naruto bust into the room. He skidded to the halt in the middle of an aisle and looked around, wildly flapping his arms.

"Guys! I totally forgot to do the math homework! Help me!" he howled, mostly at Sasuke. Sasuke, who was leaning back in his chair with a book covering his face, didn't respond.

"Sasuke!" Naruto whined. Sasuke gave him the middle finger and went back to sleeping.

"Naruto, you're so damn loud. Why don't you ask Haruno like always?" Shikamaru grumbled as Ino fussed with his hair and he half-heartedly swatted her away. Naruto spun in a wild circle, searching the room for her long hair bent over a book or something. Sakura, who was sitting at the desk right next to him, stuck her notebook in his face.

"Oh! Haruno-chan! I didn't recognize you there," he nervously said as he accepted the homework, eyes drifting down to her chest, probably remembering the incident at the beach. Sakura scowled as she crossed her arms in front of her. But Naruto's loud voice carried to the back of the room where, intrigued, Sasuke put down his book and took in Sakura's much shorter hair. Laughter exploded from Naruto as he pointed at the bruise on Sasuke's forehead.

"What the hell is that, Sasuke?" Naruto guffawed, drawing everyone else's attention. Sasuke scowled as he touched the sore spot.

"I don't even know. My brother just said something about a guy making a girl cry is bad enough and insulting a crying girl is worse or something like that," Sasuke grumbled. Sakura's eyes widened as she realized what Itachi was talking about and felt her insides go all fuzzy and warm as she reveled over Itachi's consideration for her. She felt Sasuke's stare and her bubble of happiness almost immediately deflated.

"You cut your hair," Sasuke observed and suddenly all eyes were on her. But somehow, it was different from when his brother was giving her all his attention. It felt like Sasuke was appraising her, somehow judging her worth based on her appearance. She resisted the strong urge to stick her tongue out at him.

"Good job noticing, Sasuke-kun," she said in a deadpan voice before turning back to Naruto. The blonde was gaping at her and she was fairly certain that the rest of the class was too. But she held her shoulders back and let the stares simply roll off her as she pointed at her notebook clutched in Naruto's hands.

"Get it back to me before first period starts," she instructed flatly and Naruto nodded exuberantly before he ran out of the room. Sakura sighed at Naruto's forgetfulness before she went back to reading her book. After a while, everyone seemed to get over her sudden cold treatment of Sasuke and went back to chattering among themselves. A few minutes later, there was a light tap on her shoulder.

"G-Good morning, Haruno-san."

Sakura turned around to meet a furiously blushing Hyuuga Hinata. She shut her book, flipping over the edge of her page to mark it.

"Oh, good morning, Hinata-chan," Sakura greeted her, a little surprised. She had barely ever heard the girl talk since they first met in middle school. Then again, with loud-mouthed Ino hogging all her attention, it was no wonder that she had never had a chance to speak with Hinata before. Sakura smiled and Hinata smiled back shyly.

"How was your summer break?" Sakura asked.

"Um… well… I spent most of my time with my sister and cousin at my family's villa. What about you, Haruno-san?" Hinata said. Sakura turned around in her chair to fully face her.

"I spent time with my friends, studied a little. Where's your family's villa?"

Hinata's face lit up when she realized that Sakura was trying to have a real conversation with her. Sakura was pleased but not too surprised that Hinata was a very nice person to talk to. Not many people approached her because they assumed that being from a wealthy family made her a snob. That, paired with the student council president's icy glare, kept most at bay. But Sakura didn't mind, especially since Hinata was just a genuinely good person.

"Haruno-chan, I hope you don't mind me asking, but why did you cut your hair?" Hinata asked, turning a little pink. It obviously took a lot of effort on her part to demand such a personal thing. When Sakura didn't answer, Hinata looked appalled.

"I'm sorry. That was rude of me. You don't have to-"

"I was suffocating," Sakura quietly replied. Hinata froze mid-sentence at Sakura's flat tone. But Sakura looked up at her with a smile.

"I mean, it was the summer and it was hot," she said and Hinata's expression cleared.

"It looks good on you, Haruno-san," Hinata said with her princess-like smile and it was Sakura's turn to blush a little at the unexpected compliment.

Soon after, Naruto ran in to interrupt their conversation and hand Sakura her homework. Sakura watched Hinata turn suspiciously red as the blonde babbled on before Kakashi walked into class and kicked Naruto out. Everyone groaned in unison when Kakashi collected the summer homework and immediately began teaching. It felt a little strange that after class, it was Hinata she was talking to and not her sitting bored while Ino was busy talking about her summer break. Since Ino usually liked to eat lunch with her other friends, Sakura had taken to eating quickly in the cafeteria before spending the rest of lunch break in the student council office doing extra work. But when Hinata asked her to join her for lunch, Sakura didn't hesitate to accept. It was nice having someone to chat to while she ate and she found that it was a lot easier to deal with Hyuuga Neji's harassment at the end of the day when his younger cousin quietly pointed out that he was being unnecessarily rude.

"I… didn't realize that you were friends with… Haruno-san," Neji stiffly said, saying her name like it was a disgusting bug's. Sakura was shocked by shy little Hinata's determination as she stood in front of Neji.

"Please be nicer to Haruno-san because she's a nice person, Neji-Nii-san," Hinata replied. Thoroughly embarrassed, he offered Sakura a half-assed apology before stalking off, leaving Sakura to marvel at Hinata's burst of confidence.

At the end of the day, as usual, Ino tried to shirk her duties as homeroom representative to go hang out with her friends. But for the first time, Sakura shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Ino-chan, but I have work to do too," Sakura firmly said and Ino, looking more surprised than annoyed, went off to do her own duties for the first time. That was why, when the building was quiet and Deidara came to pick her up on his motorcycle, Sakura was already waiting for him by the front gate.

"Woah! How are you already done with everything?" Deidara exclaimed as he handed her the usual helmet and waited for her to slip onto the seat behind him. Sakura couldn't hide her excitement as she buckled the strap under her shin and held on to Deidara's middle.

"I decided to stop worrying," she laughed as the motorcycle roared to life and they sped down the road together.

* * *

Reviews please so that Sasuke will be injured more in future chapters!


	7. Mr Pocari's Sweat

I think the more I write Deidara's character, the funnier he gets. I've gotten a few complaints that he seems a little too OOC. I know that he seems like a big goofball, but there's a big back story to explain his behavior that I'll reveal in a later chapter.

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Fancy Footwork

Chapter 7: Mr. Pocari's Sweat

Early one morning, Sakura started her day by tumbling to the asphalt. Despite the little stinging on her cheek, there was something else that bothered her more. Pain lanced up her ankle as she sat up and stretched her right leg out in front of her. She tried to twist her foot to the left and was rewarded by a horrible stabbing sensation. Moments later, she heard the crunch of feet on the pavement and Itachi was kneeling in front of her.

"You okay, Kitten?" Kisame demanded as he crouched down beside her. She nodded, breathless with pain. A grimace twisted her face as Itachi carefully grasped her calf. In any other situation, she would have been blushing furiously as Itachi nearly caressed her leg, but the throbbing in her ankle managed to sap most of her modesty.

"Does this hurt?" he asked as he lowered his hands and lightly squeezed around her ankle. A whimper escaped her mouth and Itachi flinched, as if the noise hurt him to hear.

"Should we take her to the studio? I'll tell Deidara to grab ice from the convenience store," Kisame speculated, already grabbing his cell phone. But Itachi lifted his hand, signaling Kisame to wait. Sakura and Kisame watched as Itachi peeled her sock down. The skin was already turning dark red and tender. Sakura bit her lower lip as Itachi carefully pulled her sock back up. He was being so gentle with her, but even the slightest contact made her ankle scream out.

"No. My apartment's closer," Itachi decided as he stood. Sakura started when Kisame slid his arm under her knees and the other around her back. As if she weighed nothing, Kisame lifted her into the air and began walking.

"Kisame-san!" she protested but she was ignored.

"You probably sprained your ankle so you shouldn't walk on it, Sakura-san," said Itachi so she settled for hiding her frustrated blush by tucking her head against her shoulder. Kisame chuckled and she responded by punching him in the chest. Being a solid wall of muscle, he didn't even flinch. Sakura grumbled under her breath about blue sushi kidnappers, making Kisame laugh again. She broodingly watched Itachi's back as he led them back to his place.

Konoha was built on a cluster of hills, meaning that it was an uphill walk to most places. Sakura glumly watched as she was easily lugged up inclines that she knew she could never climb in her condition. As if reading her thoughts, Itachi looked at her over his shoulder and raised his eyebrow at her. She huffed as she hid her face against her shoulder again.

Itachi's apartment was in east Konoha, just a 20-minute walk from Konoha University. Sakura, who rarely had any reason to come near this part of the city, watched the college students darting in and out of the coffee shops and cafes lining the streets. Right across the street from a small park was a small white building with just three stories. Itachi held the glass door open and Kisame walked in, being extra careful not to bump Sakura's leg against the door frame. They headed to the elevators where Itachi pressed the button with an arrow pointing up.

"How's the ankle?" Kisame inquired and Sakura shrugged. There was a dull throb in her ankle, almost harmless enough for her to ignore. But Itachi peeked under her sock and made a face.

"It's purple," he flatly informed them and Kisame cringed.

Itachi lived on the top floor in a corner apartment. For some reason, as Sakura watched him unlock the door, her heart started hammering just a little too hard against her ribcage.

"Welcome to the dungeon," Kisame snickered to Sakura as he stepped inside and toed off his sneakers. Itachi snorted quietly as he shut the door behind them and disappeared to some part of his home.

The first thing that struck Sakura was the pizza box on the coffee table. She tilted her head to the side, trying to imagine Itachi sitting on the black leather sofa, munching on a slice of greasy pizza. Somehow, it didn't fit with the cool, suave image of him she had in her head. But the rest of the apartment was perfectly Itachi. The walls were dark, decorated with modern but simple paintings. Just by the foyer was the living room, complete with two leather sofas and a television. On the other side of the apartment was an open kitchen and dining area. As she looked around, a door opened and Itachi stepped out with a first-aid kit.

"Kisame. Sofa," Itachi ordered and Sakura was tossed onto the comfortable leather seat.

"I'll get some ice," Kisame muttered as he shot one more concerned look at Sakura and then wandered off to the kitchen.

"Um, Itachi-san, my shoes are still on," she hesitantly pointed out as Itachi knelt beside her. He set the first-aid kit on the coffee table, pushing the pizza box to the side. Sakura pointed at her feet and he slowly followed her finger. His forehead furrowed as his gaze lingered on her right ankle. In one swift motion, he pulled her left sneaker off. But when he went to unlace her right sneaker, pain flared up in her traitorous ankle. She bit her lip to cut off the squeak that left her. His fingers carefully undid all the laces before easing her foot out. His palm felt amazingly cool against her burning foot.

"Shit, that thing's swelling up like a balloon," Kisame remarked as he walked over with a plastic bag filled with ice. Itachi rolled his eyes as he gathered a couple throw pillows and arranged them at the end of the sofa before lowering Sakura's leg onto them. Kisame placed the ice on top, like some kind of dysfunctional sundae and Sakura couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

"I'll call your school and let them know that you won't be able to make it today," Itachi said as he stood.

"No. I want to go."

Itachi froze, his hand hovering just over his cell phone. Kisame, who was sitting on the floor, turned his head to gape at her. But Sakura struggled to sit up on the sofa.

"I can't miss school because of this," Sakura insisted, gesturing to her ankle that had swollen to nearly twice its normal size. Itachi's eyes darted from her now purple ankle to her face. His expression told her that he clearly thought she was insane. Sakura crossed her arms over her chest, face set with determination. After staring at her for a solid minute, Itachi crouched in front of her.

"Sakura-san."

"Yes?"

"How on earth are you going to walk around school like that?"

"I'll manage. Besides, there's a student council meeting today."

"Can you even stand on your own, Kitten?" Kisame challenged her as he crossed his arms over her chest. Sakura bristled and swung her good leg over the edge of the couch. After struggling with the heavy ice pack, Sakura managed to pull her leg free and gingerly placed it next to her left leg. She took a deep breath, trying to ignore Kisame and Itachi's disapproving faces. Her left hand dug into the arm rest as she slowly put all her weight on her left side and managed to pull herself up. Unconvinced, Itachi lightly pushed her to the right. As soon as a tiny bit of weight fell on her right foot, pain shot up her leg and her knee buckled. She fell back onto the sofa, staring up at Itachi's somewhat triumphant expression.

"Lie back down. And let me make the call, Sakura-san," Itachi firmly ordered now that his point was proven. Sakura sulked as she complied and stuck her foot back on top of the mountain of cushions. A low laugh escaped Kisame as he slid over to reposition the bag of ice on top of her ankle. He reached over to pinch her nose.

"I've got to go unlock the studio and let Sasori and Deidara know what happened," Kisame said. Seeing her pout, Kisame added, "Cheer up, Sakura-chan. We'll bring you something good to eat later, okay?" At this, her expression lightened just a little and she slowly nodded. He patted her shoulder and gave her one last grin before he stood. Itachi, who was on the phone, lifted a hand in brief greeting as Kisame jammed his feet into his sneakers and quietly slipped out of the apartment. Itachi wandered over to her and perched on the armrest by her head as he waited for someone to answer.

"Hello, this is Uchiha Itachi. I'm calling on behalf of Haruno Sakura," he said. As he spoke, his gaze drifted to Sakura who scowled at him. He smirked as he ruffled her hair. Sakura turned her head away, feigning irritation. But really, she was trying not to blush over the fact that he had touched her hair.

"Yes. I'm aware of that… No…. She hadn't mentioned that….Her mother is away on business and she sprained her ankle…"

Sakura didn't hear the rest of the conversation. Somehow, the sound of his low voice swept around her, making her eyelids heavy. The quiet sound of his polite laugh was the last thing she heard before she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. And she could have sworn, as her eyelids fluttered shut, that she felt Itachi stroke her head.

* * *

"Hey, Sasuke, where's Haruno-chan?" Naruto asked as he popped his head into the classroom. It was just after third period and it wasn't like Sakura to miss school. She had once come in for midterms even though she had a 38 degree fever. Sasuke rubbed at the almost-healed bruise on his forehead as he scanned the room. The seat in front of Hyuuga Hinata was empty.

"You haven't seen Haruno-chan?" inquired Naruto as he made his way over to Hinata. She turned bright red as she furiously shook her head. Naruto sighed.

"Ino, do you know anything?" Naruto demanded. Ino looked at her nails, a little bored since Shikamaru was sleeping soundly.

"No. Let me text her," she said as she whipped out her cell phone and punched in a message. They sat around, waiting, but there was no response. Ino scowled. It wasn't like Sakura not to answer her. Everyone started as Hinata's cell phone lit up from on top of her desk.

"Hey, Hinata-chan. I don't have my phone so I'm using someone else's. Sorry I can't come today. See you tomorrow. Sakura," Hinata read out loud as Naruto craned his neck to read too. Ino's scowl deepened as she looked back to her silent phone. For the first time in her long friendship with Sakura, she felt a little lonely.

"Since when was she close to Hinata?"

* * *

"Thank you, Itachi-san," Sakura said as she held out his cell phone. Itachi accepted and tucked it into his pocket before he swapped out the lukewarm bag of water on top of her ankle for a fresh bag of ice. She winced when he lifted her leg to move it on top of the pillows.

"The swelling's gotten better. How do you feel?" he said as he sat on the edge of the sofa.

"I'm better," she said as she experimentally tried to move her foot and a very not ladylike word left her mouth. She thought she heard him laugh, but when she looked up, his expression was completely blank, giving away nothing. She wrinkled her nose at his perfect poker face. Then, out of the blue, Itachi reached out and lightly touched her cheek. It stung just a little bit.

"We should clean this up," Itachi murmured as he retrieved the first-aid kid from the coffee table and set it on his lap. Sakura watched as he opened a package of alcohol wipes. The strong smell made the insides of her nose burn. He grasped her chin with his left hand, tilting her cheek towards him. She squirmed when the cold wipe made contact with her skin. A thousand needles pierced through her cheek as the alcohol seeped into scratches the rough asphalt had made when she had fallen. Sakura bit her lower lip as he passed the wipe over once more and then replaced it with soothing antibiotic ointment.

"It's not deep so it shouldn't scar," he said mostly to himself as he spread the clear gel evenly over the redness. Sakura tried her best not to blush too hard when his face was hovering just over hers. Thankfully, Itachi was too engrossed in treating her to notice the way her eyes grew huge as she felt a strand of his hair brush against her forehead. He placed a band-aid right over her cheekbone and finally released her chin.

"Thank you," she said, lightly touching the band-aid. Itachi nodded as he gathered up the stray wrappers into a ball and lobbed them into a nearby trash can. He remained on the sofa, close enough that she could feel his leg pressing against hers. But she couldn't focus on how nice he smelled or the way she could see the outline of his muscles through his shirt. There was a much more pressing matter at hand.

Sakura flushed as she tried to figure out how to word her next request.

"Um," she began, her ears turning bright red, "I…. need to use….the toilet…" Itachi didn't even bat an eye as he stood. Sakura awkwardly swung her legs over the edge of the couch, trying to figure out how to best stand. She started when she saw Itachi's hands in front of her. She looked up at him and he smiled encouragingly. When she put her hands in his, she was startled by how easily he pulled her up. She stood on her left foot, holding her useless right foot awkwardly above the ground. She eyed the walk to the bathroom and heaved a sigh.

"Excuse me," Itachi suddenly said. Sakura turned her head towards him, confused. Suddenly, the floor disappeared beneath her feet and she was swept up into Itachi's strong arms. Completely mortified, she lay completely still in his arms as he easily carried her to the bathroom at the end of the hall. He carefully set her back on her good foot. She swayed once and automatically hung onto his shoulder to keep from falling. His hand rested on the small of her back, helping her keep balance.

"Um… sorry…" she said and she slapped her hands over her mouth when she realized that she had apologized once again. Turning pink while mustering as much dignity as she could, she hopped on one foot into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. She collapsed on the edge of the bathtub and sighed.

There were too many men carrying her around today.

After her short trip to the bathroom, Itachi carried her back to the sofa and deposited her much more gently than Kisame had. He rearranged the pillows and the ice pack, asking if she needed anything else. Since he had some work to catch up on, he retreated to his office and left Sakura with the remote control. She flipped through the channels listlessly. Nothing was on except for the trashy daytime soap operas she hated. After a few minutes of searching, she shut the TV off and threw the remote control onto the other sofa, out of her reach. And the ice was so cold against her skin that it began to hurt rather than soothe. With a frustrated sigh, she nudged the ice off her leg. She glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was only 11 am.

She watched the second hand click its way around the circle. The steady rhythm of the clock sounded oddly loud in the quiet room. She stared at the moving arrows until her eyes slid shut and she fell asleep again.

The doorbell rang just after 1. She listened, still half-sleeping, as Itachi walked across the living room to open the front door. It promptly slammed back shut. Someone proceeded to pound loudly on the door until Itachi muttered under his breath and let the guest inside.

"Sakura-chan! I brought food, yeah!" Deidara loudly announced. With a tired groan, Sakura opened her eyes and found the blond hovering over her with a steaming white bun held in each hand. A delicious smell filled the air that made her stomach gurgle.

"Deidara-san…. Is that what I think it is?" she asked as she sat up. A blanket was wrapped around her and her ankle was elevated again with the icepack placed neatly on top. Confused, Sakura looked down at the blanket and then up at Itachi who was sitting on the armrest by her feet and looking disapprovingly on at Deidara. But Deidara reclaimed her attention by waving the buns in her face again.

"Anman or nikuman*?" he asked. Sakura's eyes widened as she looked from one bun to the other. The anman was filled with her favorite anko but the nikuman had delicious, savory pork in it. Her mouth began to water as she struggled to decide.

"Deidara-san! I can't pick!" she whined. Ever since she was little, she had never been able to choose between them at the convenience store until the clerk would get angry at her. To her surprise, Itachi reached over Deidara's shoulder and snatched one up. Ignoring their protests, he split one in half and handed Sakura part of it. He then took the other bun, ripped it in two and handed Sakura another half. Deidara and Sakura looked down in awe at the bun hybrid sitting in her hands.

"Whoa… Itachi… that's… that's brilliant, yeah," Deidara reverently whispered and Sakura nodded.

"My brother had the same problem when he was little," Itachi said was a shrug. Sakura took a big bite from one side, chewing enthusiastically.

"Thank you, Itachi-san!" she chirped happily with her cheeks bulging like a squirrel. Deidara stifled a laugh as he patted the top of her head.

"Just eat, little Squirrel-chan," Deidara chuckled and she scowled at him as best as she could with her cheeks still puffed out. She eagerly devoured the whole bun while Deidara plowed his way through four nikuman and Itachi had two anman. Deidara brandished his plastic bag full of drinks from the nearby convenience store and watched intently as Sakura chose one.

"You like Pocari Sweat*?" he asked, making a face at the name. She hummed happily as she twisted the white cap off and took a sip.

"It's citrusy and sweet," Sakura defended when Deidara continued to look doubtful. While they squabbled, Itachi calmly reached over Sakura's shoulder and pulled another bottle of Pocari Sweat from the bag. As he took a swig, he noticed Sakura's triumphant smile and Deidara shaking his head.

"It does taste good," Itachi replied and Sakura beamed.

"But the name!" Deidara insisted, pointing to the blue and white label. Sakura and Itachi shrugged.

After a few episodes of a hysterical TV series Deidara had brought along and a little more bickering about "nasty sweat from some old man named Mr. Pocari", Sasori and Kisame arrived. Kisame froze in the doorway when he saw Deidara happily massaging Sakura's calf to help reduce the swelling. He threw his shoe, hitting the blonde straight in the back of the head.

"What were you doing to poor Sakura-chan?" Kisame demanded as Deidara clutched his throbbing head. But, Deidara had the energy to roll over and stick his tongue out mockingly. Sasori quickly pulled Sakura out of the way as Kisame threw himself onto Deidara and began throttling him.

Confused, Sakura turned to Itachi and Sasori who just sighed together.

"Deidara skipped class so he could spend time with you. Kisame is being… well…. Kisame and misinterpreting the situation," Sasori flatly said as he pulled a lollipop from his pocket and patiently peeled off the wrapper. He paused for a moment and then offered it to Sakura who shook her head.

"Misinterpreting?" Sakura repeated, looking down at her leg. After a moment, her face flushed scarlet and she refused to look at anything but the ceiling. Eventually, Sakura managed to convince Kisame to calm down and a nearly purple Deidara sent him dirty looks the entire night.

Sakura watched, revolted, as Kisame stuffed three nikuman into his mouth at once.

"He's not human," Itachi muttered from beside her and she found herself nodding. At the same time, they each took sips from their bottles of Pocari Sweat and Deidara stopped mid-chew to stare at them.

"You two," he grumbled as he leaned towards them, "Are like an old comedy duo or something." Sakura flicked away a stray piece of food that had spurted from his mouth, trying very hard to conceal her disgust. But Deidara, noticing her discomfort, took another huge bite and practically deposited his head in her lap. Sakura squirmed for a moment and then turned to Itachi with huge eyes.

"The only thing comic here is the way you eat," Itachi retorted, coming to her rescue as he pushed Deidara's face away with his foot. Sakura turned her face away as a loud laugh spurted from her.

"Seriously, Dei-chan, have some manners around the lady," Kisame jibed and the blonde scowled at him. He swallowed his mouthful of food and pointed an accusatory finger at Kisame.

"Look at you, Mackerel-"

"You've already used that one, Deidara-san," Sakura cut in and Deidara stopped mid-insult. He looked back at Sakura, thinking.

"Oh. How about Barracuda?" he asked her. Sakura nodded, giving him the go-ahead and Deidara whirled around to face Kisame again.

"Look at you, Barracuda-kun! You're snarfing down a billion nikuman at a time, yeah!" Deidara rebutted. After a few more insults were exchanged, somehow, the two became tangled in a vicious nikuman-eating contest. Sakura looked on, almost horrified at the quantity of food disappearing down their throats.

"I've seen Deidara eat an entire sushi boat in one go," Sasori suddenly said as he sidled over to Sakura.

"Kisame got us banned from two buffet restaurants for eating too much," recalled Itachi. They regarded each other for a moment and then sighed together. It was tough being best friends with two black holes like Kisame and Deidara.

"How much did he buy?" Sakura wondered out loud. She leaned over to peer around Deidara's back and found two more plastic bags filled with the buns. Baffled, she looked over at Itachi who was used to this behavior. At the bewilderment filling her face, he shrugged helplessly. Sasori nonchalantly looked back at his friends steadily devouring anything in sight for another minute.

"I'll go get the alka-seltzer," he muttered as he got to his feet.

Twenty minutes and two glasses of alka-seltzer later, Kisame and Deidara lay groaning side by side. Itachi and Sasori were cleaning up the empty drink bottles and plastic bags scattered around in the aftermath of the furious eating battle. And Sakura sat pouting on the sofa after she had offered to help and was instead repositioned with a fresh bag of ice and told to stay still.

"Ugh. I think I'm gonna barf, yeah," Deidara moaned. Itachi took a moment to glare at the blonde.

"Vomit on my carpet and I'll make you eat it back up," he threatened. Deidara's eyes opened for a moment and he looked oddly torn between nausea and terror.

"What time is it?" Kisame asked as he tried to sit up. But he collapsed back onto the floor after a couple attempts.

"It's almost 8, Kisame-san," Sakura informed him. With much effort, Kisame managed to lift himself off the floor and sit up. He patted his stomach with a triumphant grin.

"You owe me lunch for a week, Deidara," Kisame said tauntingly and Deidara mustered the energy to give him the middle finger. After a lot of heaving and shoving, Sasori managed to get Deidara to his feet. Threatening to shave the blonde's eyebrows off if he vomited in his car, Sasori dragged him away. Kisame, whose inhuman metabolism had already started to kick in, cheerfully gave Sakura a one-armed hug before he walked home. Somewhere in the chaos, a plastic bag filled with ice cream that no one had room for ended up sitting at Sakura's feet.

Sakura eyed the trash bag filled with wrappers with disbelief as she rummaged in the bag and pulled out quart of vanilla ice cream.

"How many pounds of food do you think they ate, Itachi-san?" she asked.

"Enough to feed a small African country," Itachi replied and she giggled as she pulled out a plastic spoon.

"Do you think you'll be okay by yourself at home?" he suddenly asked, turning to her. Sakura froze, caught red-handed. She had doled out about half of the ice cream into the lid of the carton. Her overflowing spoon hovered by her mouth as she stared at Itachi. There was some melted ice cream smeared across her lower lip. Itachi quickly turned away as a laugh spurted from his mouth. Her wide eyes and open mouth were almost comical.

"I like ice cream! Don't laugh at me, Itachi-san," Sakura pouted before chomping down on the spoon. When he drove her home ten minutes later, there was still a little smile on his face. She tore open her second carton of ice cream, earning an incredulous look from Itachi.

"How much ice cream are you going to eat?" he demanded, unable to believe how much sugar she was consuming at once. Sakura peered into the bag and counted two more cartons before holding up two fingers.

"I have a high metabolism," she defended as she took a huge bite of ice cream, shattering the innocent, typical high school-girl-image Itachi had of her.

"What happened to blushing, shy Sakura?" Itachi asked half-teasingly.

"There's no time to be shy when there's ice cream," Sakura replied, completely serious. So, Itachi stole glances at her happily munching away on her ice cream while he drove her home. She hummed happily between bites. Somehow, this gluttonous side of her was cute. Itachi found himself smiling when she set the cold bag of ice cream on her injured ankle like an icepack. Correction: Everything she did was cute.

Sakura was still indulging in her late-night treat when Itachi parked the car in front of her apartment complex. He looped around the car and opened up the passenger side door. With the ice cream distracting her, she had much fewer qualms about letting him scoop her up into his arms and carry her up three flights of stairs. When he set her down in front of her front door, she handed him her carton and spoon before she dug in her bag for her keys. Itachi looked down into the mostly empty carton with wonder. Tonight was certainly a night for overeating.

Sakura hopped on one foot into her apartment. She sat in the foyer and wrestled with her right sneaker before managing to ease it off. Itachi leaned against the doorway and watched as she hobbled into the kitchen to place the rest of the ice cream in the freezer for safe-keeping. When she turned around, he held out her carton and her entire face lit up. She pressed her back against the refrigerator to keep balance as she finished up the entire quart of strawberry ice cream.

"How are you going to get to school tomorrow, Sakura-san?" Itachi asked as she limped over to throw away the carton and spoon. Sakura looked down at her bandaged ankle for a moment.

"I guess I'll have to hop," she replied with a frown. Itachi chuckled.

"How about I drive you?" he suggested. Sakura's frown deepened as she looked at the ceiling, something, he noted, that she did whenever she was thinking deeply. She imagined the look on Sasuke's face as well as all the nagging she would have to endure from Ino the self-proclaimed Queen of Gossip. Her temples began to throb just thinking about it.

"I'll drop you off early so you can avoid unnecessary attention," he added before she could refuse. At that, Sakura's shoulders sagged. There was no way she was passing up an opportunity to avoid hopping like a demented rabbit all the way to school. She nodded.

"Thank you…. And thank you for taking care of me today," Sakura suddenly said, realizing that she had basically taken up his whole day.

"Did you miss class because of me, Itachi-san?" she added as the thought came to her. Before she could start feeling guilty, Itachi shook his head.

"Today was a free day anyway. Besides, you being there got me free food," Itachi said with a smile and she relaxed a little. He glanced down at his watch and was surprised by how late it was.

"You should get to bed, Sakura-san. I'll see you tomorrow," he said, patting her head, something that was quickly becoming a habit. Sakura nodded and waved from the door as he exited her apartment and climbed down the stairs to reach his car. She felt her cheeks warm a little as she touched the spot his hand had been resting on.

Maybe spraining her ankle hadn't been such a bad thing.

* * *

Spraining her ankle had been a terrible thing. Sakura collapsed in her seat and heaved a sigh. When she turned back to Hinata, her friend's face was concerned.

"We have gym next. You should go to the nurse, Haruno-chan," Hinata suggested when Sakura bent over to lightly massage her bound ankle. Trying to walk normally had left her poor right leg screaming in pain and she wasn't quite sure, but it looked like it had swollen up more. And her left leg, taking the brunt of the work, was left aching and exhausted.

"But then the volleyball teams will be mismatched," Sakura hesitantly said. Timid little Hinata scowled at her. Sakura put her hands up in a pacifying gesture.

"Okay. I'll go right now," Sakura relented and Hinata looked relieved.

"Do you need me to help you walk?" she asked but Sakura shook her head as she got to her feet.

"I'll be fine. The infirmary's just downstairs," Sakura assured her and waved before she slung her bag over her shoulder and slowly hobbled out of the classroom. Before she could leave, the door slid open and all the girls in class rushed in to change clothes for gym. Sakura squeezed through, biting back a very rude word when someone accidentally stepped on her foot. After a bit more pushing and a lot more hobbling, Sakura stumbled into the infirmary. The nurse, who simply went by Shizune, stood immediately.

"Oh my. Are you alright, Haruno-san?" she asked as she lead Sakura to an empty bed. She helped Sakura pull off her indoor shoe made of canvas. Shizune looked surprised when she rolled down Sakura's white sock.

"Did you do this yourself?" Shizune inquired, examining the bandage wrapped securely around her foot and ankle.

"A friend did it for me," Sakura replied.

"I couldn't have done it better myself," the nurse declared, looking impressed. And for some reason, even though it was Itachi being praised, Sakura glowed with pride. Shizune hurried around elevating Sakura's ankle and shaking ice packs to activate the cold before stacking them around her leg.

"Call me if you need anything. I'll be next door," Shizune said, pointing to the door leading to her office. Sakura thanked her and let her head fall back on the pillow. Making sure that no one else was around, she pulled up the edge of her shirt and retrieved her cell phone that she had tucked into the waistband of her skirt. There were four text messages and without reading, she already knew who they were from.

_Just got out of Statistics. Deidara was in my lecture and wouldn't stop freaking out over you…. So I tied a pencil into his hair when he wasn't looking. Don't sprain your other ankle._

_-Kisame_

Sakura stifled a laugh as she saw the photo that accompanied the message. Deidara was looking to his left and she could see Kisame's finger in the corner, pointing to the green mechanical pencil neatly dangling a little below Deidara's ear. The next text was only a few sentences long, which was unsurprising since Sasori was a man of few words.

_I heard from Itachi that you're at school. Deidara has a pencil on his head. I don't know why. Watch out for those two raging perverts. _

_-Sasori_

It was just like Sasori to send such an odd message. It took her a moment to remember Sasori's reaction to Naruto and Sasuke at the beach during summer break. Even though he hadn't mentioned it, she knew that he was worrying about her ankle too.

_Sakura-chan, I've been hearing a weird clicking noise every time I turn my head today. I think Sharkie had something to do with it because he keeps laughing at me whenever I ask. I saw Itachi in the cafeteria during lunch and he was eating a nikuman. I thought I was gonna hurl. Hope the ankle's doing better._

_-Deidara_

Sakura slapped her hand over her mouth to muffle the giggle that escaped her pursed lips. It seemed like poor Deidara was the butt of every joke today. Last, she knew, would be the message from Itachi. He would probably ask how she was feeling and remind her that he would pick her up after school. But to her surprise, when she clicked the arrow button, the only thing that showed up was a photo of the back of Deidara's head. The lime green pencil was still dangling happily from a lock of his golden hair. Underneath were two words:

_Kisame, right?_

"Is everything alright, Haruno-san?" Shizune asked from next door. Sakura managed a strangled "I'm fine" before she pulled a pillow on top of her head to smother the uncontrollable laughter that wracked her body.

* * *

Ooh. This chapter is filled with obscure cultural references that I must apologize for. It didn't occur to me that not everyone knew what Pocari Sweat was since I'm Asian.

*Pocari Sweat is a sports drink that's really popular in Asia. It's sweet and flavored with a hint of grapefruit. The "sweat" is supposed to entail that it's replacing the electrolytes and nutrients you lose when you sweat, but to us Americans, it looks like some nasty man named Mr. Pocari is bottling his perspiration. Oh and the color is cloudy white so that doesn't help much.

*Nikuman and Anman are both fluffy, white steamed buns (like Chinese steamed buns) that are sold at convenience stores in Japan. 'Niku' means meat so nikuman are filled with pork while 'an' is sweetened red-bean paste in the middle of the bun. I know the red-bean sounds weird but it's really delicious and it's actually a popular filling for bread and other snacks in Asia.

Sorry for the crappy mostly directionless chapter, but I felt like I just needed some sweet Akatsuki boys and Sakura time.

Please review because I'm planning something awesome next chapter involving Konan and possible removal of clothes and I'm going to need all the motivation I can get.

** I decided to cut part of this chapter but if you're interested in reading it, there's the link to my LJ on my profile. Some Itasaku. May cause cavities.**


	8. Coup

Sorry for the long wait, but I really wanted to get this chapter right since it's finally Deidara's turn to get a little attention. And before anyone begs me, no this is not going to randomly turn into a Deisaku fic. However, since I really enjoyed doing a quick oneshot for the previous chapter's little prize, I've decided that I'll start a little Itasaku anthology. So, **I'll write a oneshot each for the first 5 reviewers to suggest a theme. **(One word or phrase should be nice. And please, nothing vulgar. There are children in these parts.)

Anyway, for everyone wondering why Deidara is such a ... ho in this story, here be your answers.

Thanks, as always, to my lovely reviewers and enjoy!

* * *

Fancy Footwork

Chapter 8: Coup

Four days after her unfortunate fall (Kisame called it "Little Squirrel-Chan's Tumble", earning a handful of rice to the face during dinner one day), Sakura's ankle was mostly healed, although Itachi had banned her from doing any strenuous dancing for a while. She refused to use crutches, earning a fair share of exasperated looks, but she was Sakura. Stubbornness was one of her specialties.

It was Thursday, which usually meant that there were some afterschool activities. Still, by the time she finished her work, most people had gone home. The empty corridors echoed with her uneven footsteps as she carried a stack of papers back to the student council office. When she managed to maneuver the door open with her elbow, she ran straight into Hyuuga Neji's chest.

"Sorry," she muttered as she slipped past him and deposited the huge pile on his desk. She didn't trust herself to act polite to the student council president today, especially with her ankle beginning to ache again. When she turned to leave, he was hovering in the doorway.

"Do you need something, Hyuuga-senpai?" Sakura asked, trying her best not to sound too annoyed. But she had just spent two hours recopying two month's worth of financial records and then typed up a proposal for the upcoming cultural festival to be submitted to the principal. Her neck was stiff from hunching over a desk all afternoon.

"Did you just finish all that?" Neji asked, sounding slightly less haughty than usual. Still, Sakura crossed her arms over her chest. Ever since being elected freshman year, she had listened to his criticisms and smiled while he insulted her social standing. But he had never complained about her work. Ever. And she had never given him reason to. She frowned when he crossed the room to flip through the neatly collated and bound financial records.

"You did this?" he demanded, holding up the neat packet filled with color-coded grids and numbers.

"Yes. I've been doing those since last year," she huffed, insulted that he looked so surprised.

"Contrary to what you may believe, I know how to add and subtract, senpai," Sakura added, her irritation leaking into her voice.

"But this is the treasurer's job," Neji said as he read through the messy first drafts she had tucked into the back. Shino's nearly illegible scrawl and sloppy addition made him probably the least suited for his position. Well, not that anyone would know since she had already spent a year and a half covering for him.

"Well, senpai, if Aburame-san actually attended half the meetings and knew how to use a calculator, I wouldn't be doing his job for him," Sakura replied, rubbing the back of her neck. She shifted her weight to her left foot as the right began to tire a little. Neji placed his hand on top of the thick stack, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Look, senpai. I know you don't like me. But there's no need to act so surprised. I'm not bragging, but this student council wouldn't be functioning without me," Sakura sighed, a little more than exasperated with this whole antagonistic dynamic. At this, Neji's usual arrogant smile reappeared on his face. Sakura's eyes narrowed. She really wanted to throw paint in his face or stick gum in his hair.

"I highly doubt that, Haruno," he sneered. Sakura felt her patience with him finally snap like a worn-out rubber band.

"Fine," she snapped. She flung her key ring at him along with the thick manila folder she had left on the desk.

"Here are the keys to the office and the supply room. And here are all the future activities and proposals we need to approve for the cultural festival next month. Enjoy yourself, Hyuuga-senpai," she coolly said before she strode out of the office. She stomped as best as her slightly tender ankle would let her back to the classroom. She sat on top of her desk and stared out the window, silently fuming.

Ten minutes later, the door slid open. She kept her shoulders stiff, refusing to turn. It was probably Hyuuga coming to rub a minor typo in her face or something. Instead, Itachi crossed the room to sit on top of the desk next to hers. The top buttons of his shirt were undone, exposing his collarbones. His sleeves were pushed up lopsidedly. His car keys jingled merrily when he shifted his leg. She felt her impressive scowl automatically soften into a frown. It looked like he had had a rougher day than she had.

"Are you alright?" he asked, genuinely concerned. She considered not saying anything, especially since he looked more worn out that she did. But she knew that not talking would lead to him worrying more and then eventually Sasori would pick up on it and he would start worrying too and then Kisame- It would become too complicated.

"The student council president told me he didn't need me. So I… I quit," she shortly said. Somehow, when she summarized the situation like that, she realized how childish she sounded. She had been so angry and tired when she had thrown her things at him.

"Was I … wrong?" Sakura inquired, looking up at Itachi. But he surprised her when he chuckled.

"Good for you. Though he'll probably be crawling back to you in a little bit," Itachi said. Sakura stared at him.

"But the cultural festival's coming up and the student council's going to be swamped. Am I being too selfish?"

Sakura's eyes widened when Uchiha Itachi, probably the most dignified and cool person she knew, snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Haruno Sakura, you are the least selfish person I know. So please, enjoy your moment of well-earned liberty," Itachi commanded her and Sakura found herself nodding. She gnawed on her lower lip as she took his words in. Maybe he was right. Sakura jumped a little when Itachi put his hand on top of her head.

"Don't worry so much," he said. A smile found its way across her mouth.

"Okay."

But the swell of happiness in her chest deflated as she noticed the stack of papers sitting next to Itachi.

"Oh! I completely forgot to submit this!" she exclaimed, reaching around him to gather up the pile. But Itachi beat her to the punch and easily scooped them up. Her mouth automatically opened to protest but Itachi pointed to her ankle and her mouth snapped shut again. After a moment, she rethought her argument and opened her mouth again. Itachi again gestured to her ankle and she settled for crossing her arms over her chest.

"Sakura-san, please. I'm trying to spoil you," Itachi said. Sakura wrinkled her nose at him.

"You don't have an excuse, Itachi-san. The others do, but you already have your own little brother to spoil," she protested. But Itachi gave her a blank look.

"Sakura-san, my little brother is Sasuke. Please rethink your last statement," he flatly said. Sakura imagined Sasuke's disgusted expression if Itachi offered to carry his things for him. She reluctantly let her arms fall to her sides.

"Well…. Okay then… Thank you," she sighed as she picked up her bag and slung it over her right shoulder. They left the classroom and journeyed down the hallway to the faculty room. She hesitated for a moment as they stood outside the closed door.

"Sakura-san?"

Sakura took a deep breath before she slowly slid the door open and called out in a tiny voice, "Excuse me?" To her relief, the elderly principal, Sarutobi, was sitting at his desk in the middle of the room. He smiled pleasantly as he waved her over. Sakura approached him with Itachi following.

"I almost forgot to hand these in today, sir," Sakura explained as Itachi set the pile on the desk. Sarutobi raised grey eyebrows as he surveyed the pile. He let out a little sigh that sounded somewhat exasperated.

"Haruno-san…. You really do a lot of work around here," he helplessly said as he patted her arm. Behind her, Itachi let out a similar noise. At this, Sarutobi peered behind Sakura and finally noticed Itachi standing there.

"Ah! Itachi-kun! What are you doing here!" Sarutobi exclaimed, extending his hand to shake Itachi's. Itachi smiled politely in response. Sakura shot him a confused look and the corner of his mouth lifted. Sarutobi noticed the small interaction. His brow furrowed as he looked back and forth between them. A knowing grin spread across his face as he slapped Itachi on the back.

"Aha, Itachi-kun here has always been popular with women," Sarutobi chuckled. Sakura pursed her lips, trying her best not to laugh while Itachi cleared his throat.

"Um… Itachi-san's just the senpai in my dance crew, sir," Sakura quietly explained. At once, the old man's eyes grew very wide as he took them in again. He stroked at his gray goatee as he pondered something deeply.

"Dance crew?" he murmured to himself. Itachi's shoulders stiffened.

"Haruno-san, you know that enrollment to our school has declined in recent years, right?" Sarutobi began. Sakura nodded warily. She didn't like the smile on his face. It was the same expression Deidara gave her before he and Sasori sprang new clothes and make-up on her.

"Well, I've been trying to come up with ways to make our cultural festival much more appealing to potential students," Sarutobi explained and Sakura slowly nodded again. The old man abruptly stood, pointing his finger at her.

"Haruno-san, Itachi-kun, I'm inviting your crew to come perform at the cultural festival next month!" Sarutobi ordered. She felt all the blood drain from her face as she took in the prospect of dancing at school… in front of her classmates. Feeling a little panicky, she turned around to ask Itachi to do something but Itachi looked just as helpless at her.

"But sir-" began Sakura, turning back to the principal.

"And I'm expecting a special performance from you, Haruno-san. It'll be a good way to show off the talents of one of our precious students as well as our alumni," Sarutobi chuckled. Sakura heard Itachi smack his palm against his forehead. Horrified, all she could do was stare at the man who had just effectively destroyed all her plans for happiness.

* * *

"A SPECIAL PERFORMANCE AT YOUR SCHOOL?" Deidara and Kisame blurted out in synch. Sasori, who had been quietly enjoying a lollipop, abruptly crunched through it with his molars. Three pairs of wide eyes focused in on her. Sakura responded by sliding to the floor and pulling the hood of her sweatshirt over her head.

"It's hopeless. I should just go start digging my grave now," she groaned, rolling onto her back. Just the idea of having to face her classmates made her head throb. Sasori wedged himself between Kisame and Deidara who were standing over her, wordless with shock. He sat beside her and patted her head consolingly. When she peered up at him from under her hood, he silently offered her a cherry lollipop, his favorite flavor. Touched, she politely refused and then looked up at Itachi, silently praying that there was some way to get out of this.

"Itachi, do something, yeah! Sakura-chan's nowhere near ready for something like this!" Deidara protested, like he had read her mind.

"There's…. really nothing we can do. Sarutobi is a stubborn old man," Itachi sighed. Kisame, who seemed to have recovered from the initial shock, sat up straight.

"What if you found some girls to dance with you? Wouldn't that make things better?" Kisame spoke up, prodding Sakura in the shoulder. She glanced up at him glumly.

"Do you think that'd be okay?" she tentatively asked. Sarutobi had asked for **her** special performance. Not a girls' performance. But Deidara seemed to perk up at the idea.

"It should be fine as long as you're the one in the middle. I'll start calling up some girls to ask," he said, reaching for his cell phone. To everyone's disgust, he began happily reading off all the girls' names in his address book, starting with "Aiko-chan who has really nice legs" and earning a smack in the back of the head from Sasori. Sakura rolled her eyes as she looked away from him. Itachi crouched beside her, his expression apologetic.

"Maybe some girls in your school can help?" he suggested.

"Yes. Maybe Sasuke-kun can learn to do the Macarena with me," Sakura huffed and Itachi cracked a smile.

"Impossible. Sasuke strikes me as more of a chicken dance person," Itachi replied and despite all her fear and frustration, Sakura finally laughed.

The next day, Itachi dropped her off at school, even though the swelling in her ankle was mostly gone and it didn't really hurt to walk on it anymore. Shizune had told her that it hadn't even been sprained in the first place. But despite all her protest, Itachi had stubbornly escorted her to school. As she hopped out of the car a block away from the campus, she frowned at him.

"Most girls would be flattered to have a personal chauffeur," Itachi said in response to her disapproving expression as he handed over her bag.

"Itachi-san, unwillingly transporting someone is called kidnapping, not chauffeuring," she countered smartly. Itachi chuckled. Despite her rather prickly mood, he was good-humored and instead patted the top of her head.

"See you later," he said. Sakura nodded as she shut the passenger side door and watched him drive off in the direction of Konoha University.

"Haruno-chan?" a faraway voice called.

Sakura turned at the sound of her name. At the very end of the street, she recognized a glint of gold. Grinning broadly, Naruto ran up to her, his shoulder bag thumping against his leg. Somehow, the image of him energetically waving at her reminded her of their days in middle school together. Before everything had been ruined. A little smile quirked at her lips when Naruto hunched over to catch his breath.

"Hey, whose car was that?" Naruto asked, huffing just a little.

"Just a friend's. I tweaked my ankle the other day and now he's worried about me," she explained. Naruto's cerulean eyes widened as he looked down at her feet, as if one of her ankles would be grotesquely swollen. Sakura laughed.

"I'm fine, Naruto," she assured him when he narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips. He eyed her suspiciously for a moment.

"Hm… if you say so, Haruno-chan," Naruto muttered as they began walking in the direction of the school.

"Why are you here so early?" Sakura inquired.

"Me? Gai-sensei asked us all to come in early for a meeting. I think it's about the competition that's coming up," Naruto said with a shrug. He crossed his arms behind his head and Sakura was surprised by just how tall he was. In fact, Naruto stood several inches taller than her. It was odd since she remembered him whining about his height all throughout elementary and middle school. She giggled as she recalled the time he had tried to drink milk to grow taller without realizing that it had expired at least a week before.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto said, confused. They both froze for a moment when they realized what he had just called her. He nervously scratched the side of his head.

"Oh, sorry about that, Haruno-chan. It just kind of slipped," he apologized. But Sakura shook her head.

"It's just been a while since anyone at school's called me that," she quietly said. In fact, no one at Konoha High had ever called her by that name. When she thought about it, only Deidara, Kisame and Sasori referred to her as "Sakura-chan". When had that started? And why didn't it bother her as much as it should?

"Yeah…. It's been a long time… 9 years?" Naruto murmured. Her eyebrows lifted.

"You remember that?" Sakura demanded, amazed. The usual cheerful smile slipped from Naruto's face for a moment. The corners of his mouth turned down as he looked over at her.

"Of course I do. You suddenly stopped talking as much, you didn't want to play during recess… And whenever I called your name…" Naruto trailed off. He put his hands over his ears, copying what she had done as a child.

"_Don't call me that!"_

"_Sakura-chan?"_

"_Don't call me that! Stop calling me that!"_

Sakura bowed her head. She could remember the hole that had opened up in her chest after her father had left. No letters. No phone calls. It was as if he had never even existed. And it hurt to hear herself being called "Sakura-chan", especially since that was what her father had once called her with his tender smiles and gentle hugs. The hole was still there. It wasn't as big and it didn't hurt as much, but she supposed that it would never go away completely.

"I'm sorry, by the way," Naruto said. Sakura lifted her head as they went through the school's opened front gates. The big tree in the schoolyard was beginning to turn from green gold at the tips of its wide branches. Naruto suddenly stopped walking and she copied him. He was being so unusually serious that it scared her a little.

"At that time… I didn't know what to say to you to make it better… so I just didn't say anything. I'm sorry that your dad was such a big asshole and that you had to get hurt like that, Haruno-chan," Naruto solemnly said as he met her eyes. Sakura bit her lip as she felt her eyes beginning to sting with the beginnings of tears. She hurriedly ran the back of her hand across her eyes before he could the few drops that had leaked out. She could see Naruto beginning to panic a little. He had never been good with dealing with girls crying.

"Naruto?" she quietly said, sniffing just once. His expression still concerned, Naruto nodded enthusiastically to tell her than he was listening. He lowered his head so that they were at eye-level. There was so much sincerity glowing in his eyes that it almost made her want to cry again.

"You're a good friend…. And thank you," Sakura whispered, wiping at her eyes once again. At this, the usual grin returned to Naruto's face.

"Anything for you, Haruno-chan," Naruto declared as he lightly patted her arm. And she couldn't help but smile too. Naruto's optimism was always contagious. He put his hand on her shoulder and led her to the stone steps leading up to the front entrance. With a little push, he made her sit. When he settled beside her, Sakura nudged his shoulder with hers, something she hadn't done since middle school.

"Hey, Naruto?"

"Yeah?" he replied, leaning back on his hands.

"Didn't you use to b-boy?" she asked and Naruto's head perked up.

"Uh… well, yeah. I quit last year. Why?" Naruto replied.

"Do you happen to know any girls in our school who dance?" Sakura nervously asked. The date of the upcoming cultural festival loomed in the back of her mind. She seriously needed to figure out what to do before then. Naruto hummed as he thought for a moment.

"There's… Tenten-senpai? You know the one in Class 3-A that Hyuuga hangs out with all the time?" he suggested. Sakura tilted her head to the side as she tried to remember. A skinny girl with brown hair came to mind.

"She's pretty chill if you need to talk to her. And Hyuuga tends to be nicer around her," Naruto added, stroking his chin.

"Thanks, Naruto," Sakura sighed with relief. Naruto made a noise of assent in the back of his throat before they lapsed back into silence. After a moment, he pointed to a passing cloud, saying that it looked like Sasuke with a flower growing from his head. They both laughed at the ridiculous thought.

"Why aren't we better friends?" Sakura inquired, giggling. Minus the fact that he asked her out on a date every week, it was nice talking to him. Naruto snorted once as he closed his eyes and soaked in the warm, autumn sun.

"That would be Sasuke-teme's fault, right?" he retorted. Nodding a little sadly, she looked down at her lap. Naruto surprised her by slinging his arm over her shoulder and squeezing her close to his side. There was still nobody in the schoolyard, so she didn't feel too self-conscious about the close contact, but she was still rather confused about the sudden show of affection. Sakura looked over her shoulder and was met with Naruto's bright grin right by her face.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" she squealed as she felt her cheeks turn a little warmer.

"Sakura-chan, when did you become so nice?" Naruto laughed as she squirmed in his grip.

"I was always nice! What are you talking about?" Sakura snapped back irritably and Naruto released her, still chuckling.

"Tell you what, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, still grinning brightly. Sakura was still frowning, but she turned to look at him. He was holding his hand out towards her. When she looked at it questioningly, Naruto shook his hand up and down. A little less confused, Sakura took his hand and lightly shook it.

"Okay. From now on, we'll be even better friends than before," Naruto firmly declared, as if they had just signed an official agreement. He didn't even give her time to react. Without another word, he released her hand, got to his feet and headed into the school. Bewildered, Sakura looked down at her hand still hanging in the air.

After a while, Sakura remembered that since Naruto was… well… Naruto, there really was no point in trying to figure out what he had meant. A few students began filtering in through the front gate so she decided it was time to stop obstructing the stairs. She brushed off the back of her skirt before slowly making her way up to the second floor where her classroom was. When she slid the white door open, she let out a little yelp of surprise and dropped her bag. Sasuke was standing on the opposite side of the doorway, his hand held out, like he had been about to open the door himself.

"Sasuke-kun," she said, startled. Sasuke simply arched an eyebrow at her before he looked down at the bag she had just dropped on his foot.

"Sorry," Sakura quietly apologized as she bent to retrieve her book bag. When Sasuke's expression made it clear that he wasn't going to be the one to move, Sakura moved to the side to allow him to pass. She heard him let out a quiet snort as he shoved his hands in his pockets and strode out into the hallway. But when she reached up to brush back a stray lock of hair, he froze. Without warning, he took a step back and grabbed her arm.

"Hey! Let go of me!" she protested, struggling against his strong grip. But Sasuke paid no attention to her. His eyes were glued to the mother of pearl bracelet with emerald beads held together with black string.

"Where did you get this?" Sasuke demanded, finally looking into her face. She took a deep breath as she stared into his dark eyes.

"Let **go**," Sakura ordered in such a calm voice that he felt goosebumps rise on his arms. After a moment, Sasuke's fingers slackened. Sakura scowled as she ripped free of his tight grasp.

"I bought it at the beach. Now if you'll excuse me," Sakura tersely said before she shouldered past him and into the classroom. She could feel his eyes on her back as she made her way to her desk.

"What happened to your right leg?" Sasuke's voice inquired. As Sakura turned to sit in her chair, she saw Sasuke leaning against the doorframe.

"Nothing. Don't you have a meeting with Gai-sensei now, Sasuke-kun?" she retorted. Sasuke blinked a few times, like he couldn't believe what she was saying to him. But when she turned her head away to look out the window, he quietly left.

The rest of the day was pretty normal. Hinata gave her a quiet "good morning" and then gave her a recap of what had happened during their favorite drama last night. Sakura had discovered that both she and Hinata loved sappy, cheesy Japanese dramas. But ever since she had started dancing again, she had no time to sit down and watch TV. So Hinata had taken it upon herself to summarize everything Sakura missed.

In between classes, Sakura mostly chatted with Hinata, although Ino occasionally tried to start conversations that usually ended up fizzling out. It wasn't that Sakura disliked talking to Ino. It was just that they didn't have much to discuss together other than the usual gossip Ino loved to spread.

It was just after a particularly boring history class with Asuma-sensei that something unusual happened.

"Oi!" Naruto called out, loudly announcing himself. No one flinched. Naruto's intrusions were so frequent that they were becoming expected.

"I thought you said you weren't talking to me, you moron," Sasuke flatly drawled as Naruto made his way through the classroom.

"I'm not, you jerk. I'm here to see my best friend!" Naruto declared as he plopped down on top of Sakura's desk. Sakura, who had been busy talking to Hinata, turned when she noticed Hinata suddenly flush. Naruto grinned down at her, pausing to wave at Hinata who returned the gesture with a dazed expression.

"Hey Haruno-chan! Let's go eat at Ichiraku Ramen today! I've got coupons!" Naruto declared. Sakura glanced back unsurely at Hinata. She had just been explaining how she had stormed out on her friend's older cousin and effectively resigned from student council. To celebrate, Hinata had suggested that they hang out after school. Hinata looked a little downcast.

"Sorry, Naruto. I have plans with Hinata-chan today," Sakura explained. Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and nodded gravely.

"Hmm…. True. You can't break a promise," he mused, mostly to himself. Hinata looked surprised that Sakura would choose her over a childhood friend. Sakura looked over her shoulder to give her a quick smile.

"Okay! I'll text you later then. See you, Haruno-chan!" Naruto brightly said, hopping off her desk. But he froze after taking one step.

"I don't have your number," Naruto sheepishly said as he reached into his back pocket and handed Sakura his cell phone. She laughed a little at Naruto's forgetfulness as she flipped it open and went to add herself as a new contact. But when she went to type in 'Haruno-chan', she hesitated. She took a moment to glance up at Naruto, who was having a nice chat with a bright red Hinata. After some thought, she deleted the characters and wrote in 'Sakura-chan'.

"Here you go," she casually said as she handed him his phone. Naruto thanked her as he opened it to check. After a small search, his finger froze and his eyes went wide. She could see his lips mouth out 'Sakura-chan'.

"See you later, Naruto," Sakura quietly greeted him and he seemed to come out of a reverie. Grinning so widely that it looked like his mouth might rip, Naruto nodded.

"Bye, Hinata-chan… Sakura-chan," he replied before heading back to his own classroom. Sakura didn't notice Ino and Sasuke exchange identical looks of confusion behind her.

'Sakura-chan?' Sasuke mouthed to the blonde. Ino shrugged.

* * *

During the short break between chemistry and literature, Sakura slipped out of her classroom. She traveled to the opposite end of the second floor where the seniors' homerooms were located. Class 3-A's door was left ajar and she cautiously pushed it open just enough to poke her head in.

"Um…" she began, immediately spotting Rock Lee enthusiastically saying something to Hyuuga Neji. Neji, however, was bent over his desk, busy filling out some forms that Sakura guessed were probably for student council. Like Naruto had said, Tenten was nearby. In fact, she was sitting at the desk next to Neji, calmly watching him work. At the sound of Sakura's voice, Neji's pearly eyes glanced up at her. Almost instantly, a frown appeared on his face.

"I'm not giving you back your job even if you've come to beg, Haruno," he stated in such a condescending tone that Sakura was tempted to throw her shoe at him. But she managed to tone that urge down into a scowl as she stared straight back at him.

"First of all, you don't have the authority to do such a thing. And secondly, I'm not here to speak with you, Kaichou*," she replied with a smile. Neji suddenly turned oddly white and Tenten threw her head back as she laughed.

"You're Sakura, right? Naruto sent me a text before. What do you need?" Tenten said as she stood. She crossed the room to stand in front of Sakura. Tenten had brown hair pulled up into buns on either side of her head and a disarming smile. Although Sakura had heard rumors about her beastly strength from the judo club, Tenten looked like an overall pleasant person. This was why Sakura had no qualms about getting on her knees in front of her upperclassmen and pleading.

"Help me, please, senpai."

"Uh… ok…. Just… you don't have to bow to me…"

Eventually, Tenten agreed to stop by KU after judo practice was over on Saturday, possibly saving Sakura a couple of grey hairs. A little less worried, Sakura had a pleasant time walking around the city with Hinata before they split a slice of cake at a café and parted ways. Sakura headed back to the high school just as Itachi pulled up in front with his black sedan.

"Any luck today?" he asked as Sakura handed him her bag, which he promptly deposited in the back. Sakura nodded enthusiastically as she settled in her seat and buckled the seatbelt.

"I found one senpai who's willing to help. I don't think just the two of us can pull it off though," Sakura said with a little sigh. Itachi nodded sympathetically as he merged into traffic.

"Well… everyone else is going to hate me for telling you this, Sakura-san. But Konan-senpai is a very talented dancer," Itachi slowly said. Sakura's nose wrinkled as she thought back to the woman with blue hair. The man she had been with didn't exactly give off the friendliest aura. Itachi seemed to read her mind because he chuckled.

"Nagato-senpai is … intense, but Konan-senpai isn't such a bad person," Itachi assured her. Sakura squirmed in her seat. She was torn between her fear of looking like an idiot in front of her classmates and possibly being murdered by the older woman. After a moment, her stupid pride decided to rear its ugly head. Letting out a sigh of defeat, she let her head slump back against the seat.

"Do you know where I can find her, Itachi-san?" she reluctantly asked.

"She's usually at the art studio. Why don't you stop by before rehearsal?" Itachi suggested. Sakura couldn't decide whether to be thankful or not for his help.

When they arrived on KU's familiar campus, Itachi pointed to the tall gray building at the far end of the campus before heading up to the dance studio first. So, willing her knees not to shake, Sakura hurried down the concrete path to the art building. She ran before she could change her mind. When she asked some of the college students hanging around the stairwell, they all directed her to a room on the second floor. She received a few utterances of "good luck" and some pats on the arm, like she was walking to her death. But when she knocked on the white door and slid it open, Konan was standing in the middle of the room, staring down a block of stone. The upper half resembled the head and shoulders of an angel while the bottom half remained untouched.

"Um… excuse me. I'm Haruno Sakura-"

"Does her face look strange to you?" Konan interrupted without looking away from her sculpture. Baffled, Sakura turned her attention to the block of stone. She tilted her head to the side as she observed the carved lines.

"Her… her eyes are uneven," Sakura observed. Konan stalked around the sculpture in a slow circle. After a moment, she nodded her head.

"You're right," she mused. With another nod, Konan turned to face her. Somehow, she looked like a completely different person. Her dark blue hair was pulled back with a bright yellow clip and covered in a fine layer of dust. There were smudges on her face and the front of her dark apron. The sleeves of her beige sweater were hastily rolled up and the exposed skin of her arms was coated with dark powder. Konan's grey eyes flickered from Sakura's face and down to her leg.

"You're that girl," Konan finally said with a blank expression. Sakura mutely nodded.

"Did Deidara send you? Tell him I'm not interested," Konan firmly said as she turned back to her work.

"That's… not it, Konan-san. I need your help," Sakura said in a near-whisper. Konan's eyebrows lifted as she looked over her shoulder.

"My help?" Konan repeated and Sakura nodded again. After a few seconds of silence, Konan wiped her palms off on the front of her apron. A cloud of dust rose into the air that Konan easily waved away. The silver piercing under her lower lip glinted as her mouth pulled up into a faint smile.

"What did you say your name was again?" Konan inquired.

"I'm Haruno Sakura," replied Sakura, extending her hand. Konan eyed her for another moment before she reached out and firmly grasped Sakura's hand and shook it.

* * *

When Saturday morning finally rolled around, Sakura found herself drumming her fingers impatiently against her thigh. She noticed the strange looks Deidara kept shooting her. This was understandable since she was usually lethargic and immobile until after lunch, especially on a Saturday. But she nervously twitched and sighed and paced until Sasori took hold of her shoulders and sat her down on the floor.

"Stay," he sternly said as he pushed a lollipop into her hand. Beside her, Kisame stifled a snort, earning a dirty look from her.

"I'm not a dog, Sasori-san!" Sakura complained but Sasori simply patted the top of her head before wandering off. She silently glowered at his back for a second before she unwrapped the candy and stuck it in her mouth. Crossing her arms over her chest, she ground the lollipop between her back molars, making Kisame cringe against the noise. But ten minutes later, Tenten arrived, sparing everyone from Sakura crushing through her fifth candy.

"Senpai!" Sakura exclaimed, relief flooding her face. Tenten waved as she walked through the door. Her usual buns were pulled back into a tight ponytail. After a quick round of introductions, Tenten and Sakura retreated to a corner to chat. Sakura was delighted to discover that Tenten had a great sense of humor and Tenten poured out embarrassing stories about Hyuuga Neji, calling them "ammunition against his prince-complex". It wasn't until 10 am that the third member of their trio showed up.

Konan was greeted with cold stares of horror from the men. Itachi subtly hid his face behind his book so that he wouldn't have to meet Deidara's eyes. Luckily, Tenten's cheerful introduction helped offset most of the awkwardness. Konan introduced herself in a deeper, mature voice that fit her appearance well. She was dressed in a plain white t-shirt and jeans with her soft hair tied up in a loose bun. Tenten, who had come straight from judo club, wore a pink sweatshirt over jogging shorts.

"Dance," Konan suddenly ordered, pointing a finger in-between Sakura's eyes. Sakura stared at her.

"Dance what?" she inquired. Konan shrugged.

"Anything," was the extremely unhelpful reply. At a loss, Sakura turned to Tenten, but the other girl shrugged too. Without warning, music blasted from the speakers on the other side of the room. Sakura whirled around and found Kisame leaning against the stereo. He flashed a toothy grin. Sitting on the floor beside him was Deidara who didn't look too happy. In fact, he looked downright sick to his stomach. He briefly glanced up at her and gave her a weak impression of a smile. Itachi and Sasori stood in the doorway, the latter patiently peeling off the wrapper of an orange lollipop.

"Something else, Kisame. Electronic…er…." Konan ordered. Kisame tossed her a dark look but skipped to the next song.

Sakura moved to the middle of the room and took a moment to feel the beat. It tingled up the soles of her feet, spreading up through her legs and stomach. Sasori and Itachi had roughly worked out the choreography for this song only a few days earlier. And her part started with a series of chest pops, like she was "a robot receiving electric jolts", as Sasori had put it. She fell into the fast-paced steps, letting her feet twist across the wooden floor. Just as she started on the main chorus, the song abruptly stopped.

"What the hell, Konan? She was fine!" Kisame protested as Sakura looked up. Tenten's hands were on her hips, a frown tugging at her mouth. Konan shoved the stereo's power cord at Kisame before she crossed the room to join Tenten. She leaned over to whisper into the younger girl's ear. Tenten nodded vigorously.

"You dance like a guy," Konan finally announced.

"Huh?" Sakura replied, confused. Tenten made an exasperated noise as she took a few steps forward. She put her hands on either side of Sakura's waist.

"This area is your most lethal weapon, Sakura," Tenten said, completely serious. Sakura looked down at herself, still baffled.

"When girls dance, we flow. We're naturally much more flexible than boys," Konan explained as she crouched on the floor. As Sakura watched, Konan first lifted her rear into the air, letting her upper body follow in a sinuous curve. Deidara made a strangled noise in the back of his throat and buried his face in his arms. His expression grim with sympathy, Kisame patted the top of Deidara's head. Sakura blushed. She was embarrassed to watch someone else do such a thing, much less perform it herself.

"Hips. Your hips are your best friend," Konan firmly stated and Tenten nodded.

So for the next month, Konan and Tenten taught her a different way to dance. Well, it was more like drilling than anything else. And they had been telling the truth. Everything they did was fluid, more rolling and less harsh edges. Most of the time, they used the smaller practice room across the hall from the regular room. Somehow, it was much easier to practice rolling her hips without four guys staring at her.

Despite her looks, Konan was just as brutal an instructor as Itachi was. She demanded nothing less than perfection and had no problem forcing Sakura to repeat things countless times before she deemed them acceptable. But on the other hand, Konan was also extraordinarily patient and willing to break things down to explain. Tenten was a lot more easygoing but not less helpful. She spent countless hours trying to teach Sakura what to do with her arms and hands as she danced. It was surprising to see just how a few extra movements changed the overall mood from cute to sultry. Every day after school was filled with obsessive rehearsal and hours spent planning out the choreography. On the weekends, Sakura rejoined the boys who were always glad to see her. It did bother her that Deidara was acting a lot more distant than usual, but she didn't have the time to ask him about it, although she suspected that Konan's presence had something to do with it.

But the only thing that really... truly bothered her was Konan's one suggestion for the choreography of one song.

"During the tempo change, we should mix things up too. Like we could take off our sweatshirts or something," Konan suggested. As she spoke, she grabbed at the bottom of her shirt and lifted it up halfway, exposing her flat tummy and hipbones. Even though it was a girl, Sakura squeaked as she covered her eyes. And poor Deidara who had just sneaked into the practice room to retrieve his cell phone turned completely white as a sheet. He exploded with curse words as he grabbed his phone and ran out, eyes glued to the floor.

"Konan-senpai, that's actually not a bad idea," Tenten mused, stroking her chin like she had a beard. And so the discussion continued although Sakura couldn't help but wonder about Deidara's reaction.

Konan liked to give her missions every few days. The first had been to practice walking with her back straight, shoulders back and hips swaying side to side. The next day at school, Sakura obliged, although she was slightly mortified and uneasy about the whole idea. And it was difficult to constantly remind herself to walk properly. But Tenten liked to pop in every so often to offer encouragement and encouraged Sakura to visit her whenever she liked. After Sakura's first few visits to class 3-A, the upperclassmen stopped being surprised whenever they saw her. While Rock Lee quickly warmed up to her, offering his "undying chivalry", Neji remained as cold as ever, only ever looking up to glare at her.

"Why does Hyuuga-senpai hate me so much, Tenten-senpai?" Sakura asked one day after school. The two stood watching Neji proudly stride down the hall. Tenten snorted.

"Neji's… He hates being looked down on so he tries to put himself above others. It doesn't help that he feels threatened by your work ethic," Tenten sighed, shaking her head. Sakura's lower lip jutted out in a frown.

"My work ethic?" she echoed unsurely.

"You plow through all that work in the student council like a machine, Sakura. Neji won't admit it, but he's really struggling to fill in your spot," Tenten explained with a knowing smile. But Sakura huffed a little as she turned her head away, unaffected by the flattery.

"He's really not a bad guy once you get to know him….. And I think he's not sure how to handle you after that verbal beating you gave him the other day," Tenten added with a grin.

Before Sakura even realized, it was the middle of October, just two weeks before the cultural festival. It was Sunday, which had somehow come to mean that Sakura was once again spending her day with the Uchiha household. In fact, she didn't feel nervous at all when Itachi opened the front door for her and she slipped inside. As she eased out of her boots in the foyer, she heard the dry rustle of the newspaper.

"Good morning, Fugaku-san," Sakura called as she craned her neck to peer into the living room. As she had expected, the Uchiha patriarch was sitting in his favorite armchair and scanning the latest news. A low grunt of acknowledgement left his mouth while his eyes barely wavered from the newspaper. But after a moment, he looked up at her. He didn't smile. But that was to be expected since he was ever-grumpy-Sasuke's father. But he did give her a polite nod of acknowledgement.

"Good morning, Mikoto-san!" Sakura practically sang as she moved on to the kitchen. Instead of the usual smile and warm hug, Mikoto's face looked incredibly pale.

"Oh Sakura-chan, I have horrible news!" Mikoto said. Sakura immediately rushed to her side and helped Mikoto settle on one of the bar stools by the island. She held onto the older woman's hands, trying to give her some support. Itachi's forehead creased as he sat on the stool beside his mother.

"I made the eggs sunny-side up," said Mikoto with a horrified expression. Sakura and Itachi glanced over at each other. Itachi's lips were pressed into a tight line, like he was trying to try his best not to laugh at his mother's dilemma.

"Oh… is that bad, Mikoto-san?" Sakura inquired, trying her best to understand.

"But you like them scrambled," Mikoto explained earnestly. After a beat, a laugh escaped Sakura. She patted Mikoto's soft hands reassuringly.

"I like anything you make, Mikoto-san. Please don't worry," Sakura said and Mikoto's face looked relieved. With the small crisis averted, Sakura pulled on the spare apron that Mikoto always set aside for her. It was yellow with cute white frills and a picture of a chick holding a spatula on the front. When she reached around to tie the back, Itachi stood and took the ties into his own hands.

"Oh Itachi-kun, you'll make such a good husband," Mikoto sighed with a little giggle. Sakura felt the back of her neck grow hot when Mikoto eyed her with a mischievous smile. Itachi loudly cleared his throat as he took a step back.

"Thank you," Sakura whispered, unable to look into his eyes. There was a pregnant pause, save for Mikoto who was still laughing.

"I'll… go wash my hands," Sakura finally blurted out, unable to stand the awkward air. As she scurried out of the kitchen and down the hall, she heard Itachi sigh again.

"Mom… do you have to tease her like that?"

Mikoto just giggled again.

Excluding Mikoto's penchant for odd jokes, the day at the Uchiha household was pleasant. Sakura chatted happily with Mikoto while they tenderized beef, chopped vegetables for a salad and tested out a new recipe for chocolate chip cookies that Sakura had found while they waited for the beef to marinate. At first, Sakura had found it odd that Mikoto seemed delighted whenever Sakura offered to do the smallest things like take out the garbage or do the dishes.

But when Mikoto had one day confessed, _'We were sure Sasu-chan was going to be a girl. I've always wanted a daughter…'_ Sakura understood.

After a delicious dinner, Sakura was shooed out of the kitchen so she settled on the back porch again. The loud chirruping of the cicadas was gone. Instead, the steady click of the bamboo fountain in the koi pond filled the quiet night. She curled her legs up to her chest. The weather had been warm enough during the day so she had left the house wearing jeans and a t-shirt. But the chill of the night had settled over Konoha and goosebumps were popping up on her arms. She rubbed her hands over her arms, trying to warm them up. Despite the cooler weather, the dark night sky glittering with clear stars was more than enough to lift her spirits. The door slid open behind her and a warm, familiar weight dropped on top of her head.

"Thank you!" Sakura cheered as she pulled her arms through the sleeves of Itachi's white sweatshirt. It was so soft and big and she secretly loved the scent of his cologne that clung to the fabric. When she pulled it over the top of her head, she was met with a cold carton of ice cream touching her forehead. Itachi settled on the edge of the porch beside her. Wordlessly, he handed her the lid and her face lit up.

"It amazes me that you've somehow managed to **lose **weight with the way you eat ice cream, Sakura-san," Itachi commented as he handed her a spoon. As Sakura happily carved out a chunk of ice cream, he tucked his right leg up against his chest and rested his chin on top of his knee. Sakura cheered quietly as she transferred a block of ice cream to the carton lid and happily dug in.

"Itachi-san, you're never supposed to mention a girl's weight in front of her," Sakura solemnly said as she pointed at him with her spoon.

"Why? Are you accusing me of calling you fat?" he teased. Sakura wrinkled her nose at him.

"Mean," she grumbled around a spoonful of ice cream. They lapsed back into their usual easy silence. Itachi sighed as he lifted his head and instead flopped onto his back to look up at the sky. They could hear the sounds of running water from the kitchen as Mikoto washed the dishes. As Sakura finished up her portion of ice cream, she paused to take a deep breath through her nose. The cool air filled her lungs with a pleasant tingling.

"It smells like autumn," Sakura observed. Itachi tucked his hands under his head as he glanced over at her.

"What does autumn smell like?" he inquired.

"Um… like cold… and burning leaves and…. I don't know how to explain it," Sakura mused with a bashful smile. Itachi simply nodded and they resumed looking up at the stars until a sudden thought crossed her mind.

"Is it later now, Itachi-san?" Sakura demanded.

"Later?"

"…About Konan-senpai…" she clarified and Itachi's eyes widened a little. He seemed to wilt as he processed her words. Sakura hugged her legs to her chest and rested her cheek on top of her knees so she could look over at him. After a moment, Itachi closed his eyes.

"Deidara and Kisame and I were best friends in high school and middle school," he began.

"Really?" Sakura interrupted, genuinely surprised. But when an amused huff left Itachi, she put her hand over her mouth.

_I'm not quite sure how it happened, but before I realized, we were always together. Kisame hasn't changed much, but back then, Deidara used to be a lot less… _

"Horny?" Sakura suggested and Itachi snorted.

_Yes. Deidara was a lot less horny. But more than that, he was a good kid. He and Kisame ran around pulling pranks on teachers and getting detention. But when you were in trouble, he was definitely someone you could depend on. Back then, he was one of the good-looking guys at school, so a lot of girls would confess to him. But Deidara politely turned them all down. Deidara was one of those naively pure kids who believed in 'first love' and 'destiny'. When we were younger, he said he wanted to become a hairdresser so he could help people feel more confident. _

_So we all came to Konoha High to study together. When we were freshmen, there was a senior named Konan._

Sakura's eyes widened and Itachi paused his storytelling to nod at her.

_Konan was known as our school's angel. She was really beautiful and had this mysterious aura around her. And Deidara, like an idiot, fell completely in love with her. He followed her around like a stray puppy, buying her lunch and telling his stupid jokes. _

"So Konan-san rejected Deidara-san?" Sakura blurted out, her hands tightly clenched together. But Itachi shook his head.

_Konan-senpai started flirting back. In fact, she was his first kiss… and his first time. You have no idea how crazy Deidara was about her. And then…_

Itachi trailed off, his eyes suddenly growing hard.

_Nagato-senpai came looking for the underclassmen that had slept with his girlfriend. _

Sakura's jaw dropped.

_Nagato-senpai and his friends beat up Deidara. He had to be taken to the hospital and missed school for a week. When he came back, he pretended like he didn't even know Konan-senpai. And he started playing around with all the girls that liked him. _

"But he loved Konan-san, right?" Sakura demanded. A humorless laugh left Itachi as he turned his head to look at her.

"Sakura-san, when Nagato-senpai asked Konan-senpai who Deidara was, right in front of him, she said 'a toy'. It didn't matter if he loved her. She never loved him. And I think it broke him," Itachi explained, looking back up at the sky. But his head whipped around again when Sakura's sniffle reached his ears. Sakura rubbed at the tears that had started to run down her face.

"Poor Deidara-san," she said as Itachi sat up to pat the top of her head. But instead of calming her, his gentleness only made her break into full-on sobs. It should have been Deidara being comforted like this instead of her. So she cried into Itachi's shoulder because no one else would.

The next day after school, Sakura had convinced herself that she could keep her cool. Itachi had warned her that Deidara wouldn't be too happy to know that she had found out his secret. So she smiled brightly when he picked her up a block away from the high school so that no one would catch her running around on the back of a motorcycle. She forced herself to chat idly like she always did and to laugh at his mock-flirting. But inside, it broke her heart to know that because of her, Deidara had been forced to see Konan for two weeks. She hugged her arms around him just a little tighter and rested her head between his shoulder blades, still feeling horribly guilty. If he noticed, Deidara didn't say anything about her strange behavior.

But when they arrived at the practice studio, Sakura took one look at Itachi's face and she felt the tears stinging at her eyes again. Without warning, she turned around and threw herself at Deidara, knocking them both to the floor. With the tears flowing freely, she wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm sorry!" she sobbed while a very bewildered Deidara looked around the room at his friends. While Kisame looked absolutely panicked about Sakura's sudden mood swing and Sasori seemed to be busy trying to decide which lollipop to give her, when Deidara met Itachi's gaze, something clicked inside his head. Sakura barely registered when Deidara pressed his forehead against hers. And Deidara, her beautiful, kind, cheerful Deidara, closed his eyes with a faint smile.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan," he quietly said. She felt a few of his tears wet the side of her neck. And Sakura clung to him desperately, wailing and carrying on until she felt like maybe she had taken on just a little of his pain.

* * *

*Kaichou means Student Council President. Somehow it sounds slightly better than calling Neji SCP all the time.

Dun-dun-dun! Why is Sauce so worked up over Sakura's bracelet? Why is Konan such a butt? And how will the cultural festival performance go? Find out in the next chapter!

Oh and I'm sorry that this chapter is a little less fun than usual, but I swear the next one will be extra... lol-tacular... lol-errific? Er, yeah, amusing.

And please review because reviewers are awesome people made of sunshine and cookies.


	9. Limelight

For those of you non-believers who thought I had given up: a-ha! And for those of you who have been waiting forever for me to update: I'm sorry. Midterms have been a nightmare and once again it's 2 am while I type this. Updates will probably continue to be a little spotty and irregular, but I'll try my best to keep writing for all you wonderful readers out there.

I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Fancy Footwork

Chapter 9: Limelight

"You're wearing a hole in the floor, Kitten," Kisame snorted. Sakura ignored him as she continued pacing frantically across the practice room. Her shaking hands were clenched together in front of her. She glanced out the window every few seconds until Sasori got up from the old, cushioned bench pushed against the wall. The red-head wordlessly took her by the shoulders, steered her to the bench and made her sit.

"Sit. Stay," he flatly said. Stunned, Sakura stared up at him. Lately, Sasori seemed to be under the impression that she was some sort of small dog. Mildly insulted, Sakura crossed her arms over her chest and turned away with a sniff. When the door opened a few minutes later, Itachi was met with Sasori expressionlessly patting the top of Sakura's head. Itachi was balancing a cardboard tray holding five cups of iced coffee in one hand and a paper shopping bag in the other. He froze completely as he took in Sakura's highly disgruntled expression.

"Good…morning?" he hesitantly said. Itachi looked over at Kisame who simply shrugged as he chewed happily on one of Sakura's sandwiches.

"Um… I think it would be a good idea to leave Sakura-san alone, senpai," Itachi slowly said, meeting Sasori's blank gaze. With a slow nod, Sasori stood and wandered off to the other side of the room. Itachi sighed as he crouched in front of her and offered up the tray of coffee like a peace offering. Her lower lip stuck out in a pout but the pull of caffeine was much too strong for her to hold a grudge for long.

"Thank you," she finally said as she took a cup of sweet pick-me-up and took a long sip through the straw. Itachi reached over to pass the tray to Kisame before he settled on the bench beside her. He dropped the paper bag in her lap. Curious, Sakura looked up into his face and only received a mysterious smile. At the sight of her present, Kisame handed off the coffee to Deidara before he scooted over on his butt cheeks to get a better look. Sakura tilted her head to the side as she reached into the bag and pulled out a black hoodie. She held it out in front of her to read the white letters printed on the back. There was a fluffy white cat wearing boxing gloves with 'KITTEN' written underneath. On the front were the words 'Akatsuki Crew' in matching curvy print.

"Oh," she simply said, staring at the hoodie. When she looked up, Kisame and Itachi were watching her intensely. She looked down and then back up, unsure of what to say. Unfortunately, Kisame seemed to take her silence as disapproval.

"I told you to use pink instead!" Kisame snapped, suddenly jumping to his feet. Bewildered, Sakura looked around until she realized that Kisame was glowering at Deidara. Deidara jumped up too, his expression mutinous.

"I told you not to write 'kitten' because now some old pedophile's going to be stalking her everywhere!" Deidara shouted back. He threw his arms around Sakura, who struggled to keep her coffee upright as Deidara nearly suffocated her. Completely baffled, Sakura peered up at Itachi who looked like he was trying his very best not to murder Deidara. But when she pulled her best puppy-dog face, asking for help, Itachi lifted his fist and ground it against Deidara's temple.

"Off," Itachi ordered. Groaning, Deidara reluctantly released her and stomped off.

"Sakura-chan never said that she didn't like it. Right?" Sasori piped up from the other side of the room. Everyone else froze in place as they all turned to look at him. His black messenger bag was open, revealing a giant plastic bag full of lollipops. He cleared his throat as he slowly closed the flap and pushed the bag behind him, away from prying eyes. After a moment, all eyes returned to Sakura.

"Kitten?" Kisame simply said, raising his eyebrows at her.

"Um…. I… I really love it," Sakura quietly admitted, blushing when Deidara's face broke into an impossibly wide grin.

"You're so cute, little Squirrely-chan," Deidara declared as he reached over to squish her cheeks between his hands. Sakura giggled at his ecstatic expression before Kisame wedged himself in between them, shoving Deidara out of the way.

"Thank you, everybody," Sakura said, looking down at the hoodie in her lap. She smoothed her hands over the soft fabric, running her fingertips along the outline of the white kitten. When she looked back up, she saw that Itachi was watching her hands too. Their eyes met and Sakura felt familiar warmth creeping up the back of her neck. And she knew that, undoubtedly, her cheeks would be a soft shade of pink as she looked up at Itachi and smiled.

"I'm glad you like it," Itachi responded as he reached out and gently mussed her hair. She tightly hugged the sweatshirt to her chest as she nodded vigorously, fighting the strange urge to laugh and cry at the same time. It must have been obvious because Kisame suddenly stood, yawning too loudly as he stretched his arms over his head.

"Man. I'm falling asleep here. Help me load the equipment in the van, Deidara," Kisame ordered as he prodded Deidara's shoulder. Grinning with equal vigor, Deidara got to his feet and hurried out, balancing two heavy cases full of wires and speakers. With the (generally) two loudest people gone, the dance studio was quiet once more. Sasori shook his head as he grabbed a nearby case and followed Deidara out, leaving Sakura staring awkwardly up at Itachi. A pause stretched between them before Itachi seemed to remember that his hand was still resting on her head. He pulled his hand back, murmuring a quiet apology.

"Um… we should probably help too," Sakura mumbled, clapping her hands over her cheeks so he wouldn't see the giant blush spreading across her cheeks. Itachi nodded mutely as he picked up a few bags and headed out the door. Once his measured footsteps had faded completely, Sakura put her hand over the place his palm had rested. She could almost feel the warmth and security he had momentarily given her. Though she tried to resist, a dreamy smile made its way across her lips. When Sakura looked up, Kisame was standing in the doorway with a knowing grin.

"How're things going, Mrs. Itachi?" he teased.

* * *

"Hey Kisame, isn't your cheek kind of red?" Deidara asked from the passenger's seat, glancing over at his friend. Kisame grumbled under his breath as he gave Deidara the middle finger. He then glared darkly into the rearview mirror, meeting Sakura's wide-eyed expression. His glower deepened when she gave him her best adorable smile.

"Evil squirrel," Kisame muttered under his breath as he turned his attention back to the road. Itachi and Sasori, sitting on either side of Sakura, exchanged concerned looks.

"What did you just call Sakura-chan?" Sasori inquired, clearly confused. But Sakura simply tittered and Kisame continued fuming, choosing to ignore the question altogether. The thirty minute drive to Konoha High School was mostly quiet, with Kisame only grunting in response to Deidara's directions. The black van puttered to a halt in front of the high school, barely avoiding hitting a hoodlum on his skateboard.

"Er… better drive around back," Deidara instructed, glancing back at Sakura who smiled nervously. She was startled when Sasori pulled a white baseball cap out of nowhere and fitted it snugly over her bright pink hair, carefully tucking stray strands behind her ears. Itachi helped by pulling her hood over the hat, completely shielding her hair and part of her face. When Kisame parked the van in the back of the school by the auditorium, Sakura's heart was pounding furiously. Still, by some terrible luck probably brought on by a cruel god laughing at her from the heavens, a boisterous voice broke through the quiet morning.

"Itachi-nii-chan! Morning!" Naruto crowed from the track, waving his arms over his head. Sakura's squeal of panic was drowned by four simultaneous groans while they watched the blonde run over. Before Naruto could notice anything amiss, Sakura sidled up closer to Itachi, practically attaching herself to his side.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun. You're here early," Itachi smoothly said as Naruto stopped right in front of him. Naruto grinned broadly as he wiped the sweat on his forehead off with the back of his hand.

"Basketball practice. What are you doing here?" Naruto responded, his cerulean eyes wide with curiosity. Sakura winced as she listened to Deidara's teeth grind together along with Sasori's deep, exaggerated sigh of impatience.

"It's a favor for the principal. We'll see you later," Itachi replied and the blonde seemed satisfied. Nodding solemnly, Naruto crossed his arms behind his back. As he turned to leave, in the day's second douse of horrendous luck, Naruto's eyes happened to catch sight of Sakura clinging nervously to Itachi's arm. His lips puckered as he took in her shorter frame and the sleek outline of her legs. After a moment of deep contemplation, Naruto, forehead puckering, craned his neck to get a better look at her.

"Sakura-chan?"

There was a moment of complete silence.

And then Kisame's laughter exploded. Roaring, Kisame pointed first at Deidara's face frozen in a look of utter repulsion and then at Sasori's hand hanging limply with a lollipop dangling from his fingers. Even Itachi's eyes were wide as he slowly looked at his brother's friend.

"Naruto-kun… What makes you think this is Sakura-san?" he slowly inquired. Naruto cocked his head to the side, as if it were the strangest question he had ever heard. Then, with his usual boisterous grin, Naruto peered at the girl still clinging silently to Itachi's side.

"Easy! Those are Sakura-chan's thighs!" he cheerfully explained and Kisame's laughter cut off with an angry stammer. Sakura, who was wearing stretchy black shorts, sputtered incoherently as she slapped her hands over her legs. Kisame turned bright pink as he pointed his finger at Naruto, gasping like a fish out of water. Sasori's expression remained frozen as he calmly shed his hoodie, walked over, and wrapped it around Sakura's legs before he walked over to Naruto and pointed straight between the boy's eyes.

"Perverted child, stay far away from Sakura-chan," Sasori calmly ordered before he flicked Naruto straight in the forehead.

"Yeah. Keep FAR away from My-chan," Deidara piped up.

"_My-chan_?" Naruto repeated, grimacing up at Itachi. He caught one glimpse of Itachi's stony expression and he gulped nervously.

"Er… okay. You guys are busy. I'll see you later. Good luck, Sakura-chan!" Naruto hurriedly muttered as he ran off, fanning himself furiously as he went. Sakura caught Itachi's hand flexing threateningly and she quickly grabbed his fingers.

"We should go, Itachi-san. We're going to be late," Sakura loudly reminded him as she began pulling him in the direction of the auditorium. His dark eyes slowly focused in on her and it seemed to take him a moment to remember who she was. Slowly, he nodded, his gaze drifting to Naruto's retreating back once before Kisame threw him a bag, snorting.

"Focus, Lover-Boy," Kisame chortled as he lifted a speaker from the back of the van and carried it into the auditorium. As everyone filed in through the door, Itachi grabbed the door and slammed it shut behind him before Kisame could enter.

"HEY!"

It took a little under an hour to set up the speakers and to set up the music Sasori had carefully chosen and transferred to his mp3 player. While Kisame did a sound check, Deidara ran around stapling flyers to bulletin boards and sweet-talking some of the high school girls into handing out advertisements to guests later. All the while, Sakura sat in the small dressing room backstage as she tried her best not to have a meltdown. Itachi sat beside her, trying to reason with her, and it seemed to work for a little bit before she dissolved back into a spiral of "what if this happens?" When Konan and Tenten arrived 15 minutes later, they promptly kicked Itachi out and set about pumping Sakura full of confidence and shooting down her worries one-by-one until she was smiling again.

"I'm sorry. It's just been so long since I've performed," Sakura sighed as she looked herself over in the mirror propped up in the corner. She was wearing a white tank top under the black hoodie she had received that morning. She had changed out of her shorts into dark sweatpants to match with the rest of the guys. Underneath, since Sasori and Deidara had been going for the peppy schoolgirl look, she was wearing knee-high white socks with red stripes on top along with white sneakers with wings on the sides. Deidara hadn't told her how much the shoes had cost, but from the way he remained suspiciously tight-lipped about it, she knew that she didn't really want to know. Tenten playfully knocked her hip into hers, nudging her out of the way so she could look into the mirror too. Tenten was wearing black sweatpants with one of the legs rolled up to her knee along with a sleeveless red hoodie, playing up her boyish but cute side. Sakura turned around to look at the third girl leaning casually against the door in case anyone tried to walk in. She had refused Sasori and Deidara's help choosing an outfit. Instead, Konan had picked out a tight black tank top with loose red sweatpants that barely reached her shins. When they had protested and pointed out that they were performing at a high school, Konan had reluctantly thrown on a white t-shirt that was so thin that it was practically transparent.

"Still nervous?" Konan inquired as she met Sakura's gaze.

"A little," Sakura admitted sheepishly. To her surprise, a faint smile curled at Konan's lips, showing off the silver piercing in her bottom lip.

"Good. Channel it," the older girl replied as she turned and opened the door.

"She's ready!" Konan announced as she sauntered out onto the stage. Sakura and Tenten exchanged glances. When a grin spread across Tenten's face, Sakura heaved a sigh.

"Let's go," she groaned as Tenten grabbed her by the shoulders and steered her out the door. Sakura pushed past the red curtains and shrieked when Deidara jumped up and grabbed her in a hug.

"Assault!" Kisame proclaimed as he grabbed the blonde in a headlock and dragged him away.

"I'm just trying to motivate my cute little squirrel," Deidara protested, punching at Kisame's iron arms.

"That is probably the strangest thing I've ever heard you say, Deidara," Sasori remarked as he hoisted himself onto the stage and stood in front of Sakura, fussing with her clothes and adjusting the baseball cap on top of her head. She tried her best not to laugh as Deidara stared angrily at Sasori's back, unable to come up with a good retort. Before things could get too vicious, Itachi hopped onto the stage and clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.

"It's 9:45 and we advertised the first show as starting at 10:00. Start stretching," Itachi ordered as everyone gathered around him.

"Sakura-chan, I'll help you," Deidara announced as he grinned deviously. Sakura didn't react as Sasori stepped between them, grabbed a magazine from nowhere, and brought it down on Deidara's head.

"You've gotten pretty used to that," Konan remarked as they watched Sasori rain down punishments on Deidara's golden head. Sakura sighed.

"No matter what I say, he does the exact same thing so I don't really mind anymore," Sakura replied as she shook her head. Konan laughed a little.

"So true, Little Squirrely-chan," she teased and Sakura couldn't help but giggle too.

Meanwhile, the mysterious college students performing in the auditorium had become something of a hot topic around the school. And while many people expressed their confusion over why college students would be at their cultural festival, most didn't bother to visit the performance. So at 10 am, the auditorium was only about a quarter-filled and the few people attending looked more bored than expectant.

"We'll start off with the guys. Tenten-san, Konan-senpai, can you handle the music?" Itachi said, pulling on his matching hoodie. As he spoke, Kisame and Sasori were going over moves on the stage while Deidara and Sakura watched them. Tenten nodded quickly and Itachi handed over the mp3 player filled with music before he swung onto the stage. He paused for a moment when Sakura nervously tugged at her hat. It was secured in place by at least 4 pins so there was little chance that it would randomly fall off, but she couldn't help but worry.

"Ready?"

Looking back on it, Sakura couldn't really remember much from her first performance. She could recall the beat of the music as it started pounding from the speakers. She distinctly remembered Itachi glancing over his shoulder for an instant to meet her eyes, probably trying to reassure her. But she really didn't have the time or the energy to really feel nervous. They had practiced the routines so much that it really didn't take much thinking. And if she was worried about people judging her appearance, she was moving so fast that they probably couldn't see much.

Sakura had never tasted alcohol before, but she was sure that this was what being drunk felt like. Her head was spinning, her limbs felt obscenely light. Everything was a wild blur of colors and sounds and the rhythm of the music was the only thing stopping her from spinning off into space. All the times she had worried about the choreography were forgotten as she smoothly spun on the balls of her feet moved her arms in sync with the others. She caught a glimpse of Deidara's elated smile as they moved past each other and she couldn't contain her grin either. When the song finally ended with them raising their hands into the air, there was a pregnant pause in the audience. And then, the few people that had actually watched began clapping wildly. And even though the noise echoed in the largely empty room, she couldn't stop the pride that swelled up in her chest.

They danced the next few songs in the set with ease. The music seemed to flow straight into her ears and down to her limbs, willing her to move. A few times, she caught glimpses of the wide-eyed audience and a laugh threatened to burst past her lips. Sasori had chosen the songs well. Songs with strong beats and enough gimmicky autotune to get stuck in the audience members' brains long after the dances were over. At one point, she found herself singing under her breath as she popped her chest in time to the beat. Kisame, who was closest to her, glanced her way, eyebrows arching. She smiled impishly as she moved past him.

At the end of their set, with sweat trickling down the back of her head, she watched Itachi and Kisame do backflips in sync, landing on their feet just as the final beat of their song rang out. The auditorium had gradually lured in more people who had been drawn in by the raucous cheers and clapping. When she looked up, the seats were more than half-filled. She smiled widely, even though the hat was covering the upper part of her face.

"You're amazing, yeah. Go change," Deidara whispered as he threw his arm around her shoulders. Some of the girls in the audience squealed, thinking they were experiencing a moment of guy-on-guy skinship. The same girls voiced their disappointment as Sakura ducked out from under Deidara and ran offstage, fanning her face with her hands. When she entered the small dressing room, she shed her sweatpants and pulled on her black shorts. Upon rushing back out, she was met with a cold bottle of water and a white towel that had been soaked in ice water.

"Drink," Sasori ordered, untwisting the cap and holding it up to her lips. She greedily drank the refreshing water down while Itachi patted her neck and forehead, soothing the heat that had rushed to her face.

"They're on-stage already. Are you ready?" Kisame inquired, ducking to peer up into her face. Sakura handed the water bottle to Deidara as she wiped her mouth on her sleeve. She gulped down a few deep breaths before she nodded. After one last deep breath, she slipped past the curtain and took her place in the middle of the trio. There was a ripple of confused voices in the crowd. Sakura knew it was most likely that many of the people had assumed that she was a boy. But in shorts, there was no mistaking her slim but shapely thighs for those of a boy's. Sakura cracked her neck once before she took a step forward and shifted her weight to her left leg, placing her left hand on her hip. The lights dimmed just as Konan and Tenten did the same.

Despite Kisame and Deidara's vocal protests, Konan had chosen one of their more risqué routines first. Something about the sultry undertones of the singers' voices made it impossible to dance innocently to this particular song. As the familiar tones boomed through the speakers, Sakura spun on her heel, striking a pose in time to the beat. But when she turned, she found Deidara and Sasori peering out at them from the edge of the curtain. Something strange possessed her in that split second because she winked at them before she turned around again to strike another pose. At first, it felt a little strange to sway her hips when the last few songs had been so centered around power and precision. But the lessons that Konan and Tenten had pounded into her head during the past month flowed easily through her veins. Without much thought, her hips swung, body flowing in liquid movements. Every movement was softer, melding into each other, unlike the way that the guys had originally taught her to dance.

She had forgotten what it felt like to have so many eyes on her at once. When she had danced in middle school, the few competitions she had attended had been thrilling. All eyes glued to her every movement.

This was different though.

There was a different sort of attention focused on her. If the slack jaws of the males were any indication, Konan's choreography was having no problem keeping everyone interested. When the last note rang out and they blew kisses to the crowd, the high school boys sprang to their feet, hooting loudly. There were a few whistles and cheers mixed in. At any other time, it would have frightened her, maybe even offended her. But at that exact instant, the flood of attention filled Sakura's chest until she thought that her heart might pop right out of her chest. She barely managed to suppress her grin as she briefly fanned herself and then moved back a couple of steps. Konan and Tenten stood side by side, leaving a gap between them so Sakura was still visible.

The second song started and the bubbly electro beat vibrated through the floor. Deidara had grudgingly labeled this routine as slightly less risqué and a little cuter (although Sasori added, rolling his eyes, that it was a lot less cute because Konan was in the mix). Sakura took deep breaths as sweat dripped down the back of her neck. She was starting to feel unbearably hot with the extra layer on, but forced herself to focus. The first two verses and choruses went by without incident with a combination of strong arm movements and lots of head tossing that sent Konan's ponytail whipping. It was during the final chorus that Tenten and Konan moved aside, leaving Sakura in the center of the stage. She let her feet carry her in time to the feet, the noise of her heart thundering in her ears melding into the music. Although some small part of her felt a little embarrassed for all the sexy dance moves, a large part of her basked in the attention like a cat lying in a patch of sunlight. When she popped her chest in time to the beat, a few catcalls rose from the audience. The other girls moved back to the center of the stage, rejoining her in the dance. This time, when the song ended, the roar of approval from the boys was undeniably strong. Some of them got to their feet, clapping loudly while others whistled or at least attempted to whistle.

Before Itachi and Kisame had time to play the next song, Sakura quickly decided that it was getting too hot. She yanked the zipper down and shed the hoodie, moving back to toss it in Deidara's direction. As she did so, a chorus of approval shouted out from the crowd. Sakura turned back to them, confused until she realized that she was now wearing just a tight tank top and shorts along with knee-high socks. But she was beyond modesty at this point, riding on a high of adrenaline. She shrugged as she looked over at Tenten who grinned impishly back at her.

The next two songs passed by in a blur of her heart drumming furiously inside her ribcage as she stared out into the crowd. She swayed, tilting her head flirtatiously and popping certain parts of her body that drew particularly loud cheers, especially her butt. But it seemed that just as she blinked, the final song was over and she was standing on the edge of the stage, holding Konan and Tenten's hands as they took a bow. On impulse, she smiled and blew a kiss to Naruto in the front row, making him flush while a sea of jealous boys turned to glare at him.

"Thank you everyone! Our next performance is at 2 so be sure to tell your friends!" Tenten called out, earning another cheer. People got to their feet, chatting excitedly with their neighbors as they filed out of the auditorium. When most of the seats were empty, Deidara exploded out from behind the curtain and threw his arms around Sakura.

"You are just amazing, yeah!" Deidara exclaimed as he squeezed her tightly, lifting her off the ground. Sakura laughed as she dangled helplessly before Kisame climbed onstage and pried Deidara off her. But as soon as Kisame had Deidara in a headlock, Sasori slipped into the fray and engulfed her in a slightly less suffocating hug.

"You're repulsively talented," he flatly stated as he released her and draped his arm over her shoulder. Sakura rolled her eyes as she looked up at him.

"Sasori-san, you have the most convoluted way of paying compliments," she half-heartedly complained, earning a shrug from him. Itachi climbed on stage, holding out water bottles to each of the girls. Konan accepted hers with a mute nod before she walked off with her bag slung over her shoulder.

"Konan-san? Where are you going?" Sakura inquired as she twisted her bottle open. Tenten peered over Sakura's shoulder, equally curious. Konan lifted a hand in greeting as she paused at the door.

"I'll be back by 2," she simply promised before she walked out. There was an awkward silence as everyone watched Konan leave. But before it could become too strange, Kisame broke into loud laughter. Deidara, who was sitting as his feet, was solemn as he quickly looked away from the door Konan had just walked past.

"That was pretty amazing, Kitten. How are you feeling?" Kisame hurriedly inquired with a broad grin. Sakura looked over at him questioningly before Kisame jabbed a thumb in Deidara's direction. She silently nodded as she put on her must enthusiastic smile.

"That was incredible! I can't believe I managed not to fall on my butt!" she replied, drawing everyone else's attention. The tension quickly broke up as everyone laughed at Sakura's remark. She smiled innocently, avoiding Deidara's eyes when he surveyed her with suspicion. When she glanced over at Itachi, his lips were pressed together in a thin line. He caught her gaze and he sighed sympathetically. But when they stared at each other for too long, Sakura felt her cheeks heating up and she quickly looked away.

"I better go change! Let's go, senpai!" Sakura babbled as she grabbed Tenten's arm and dragged her to the dressing room. Kisame's laughter chased them, echoing loudly even when she slammed the door behind them. When Sakura turned to Tenten, the older girl was stifling a laugh.

"Please… don't," Sakura groaned, grabbing onto Tenten's shoulders and she received a light pat on the head.

A few minutes later, they re-emerged, feeling significantly less sweaty and haggard. During their performance, the guys had changed too, replacing their black sweatpants and white wifebeaters with regular clothing. Itachi had on a gray long-sleeved t-shirt and faded jeans, exuding the perfect mix of maturity and coolness that made Sakura blush all over again. Kisame was in his usual sweatpants and t-shirt while Deidara and Sasori showed up everyone in their perfectly coordinated, perfectly fashionable outfits that made both of them look like supermodels. When Sakura came back onstage, Deidara looked significantly less sullen and got to his feet.

"You were great, My-chan," he declared as he hugged her with much less theatrics than usual. Sakura lightly returned his embrace, forehead wrinkling with concern. She looked up at him with wide eyes.

"I'm fine, yeah," Deidara assured her with his usual grin. And although she remained unconvinced, she let him pretend to be fine since it seemed to make him feel better. Tenten quickly departed, explaining that she needed to help out with her class's activity, leaving Sakura and the rest of the boys.

"What are we doing now? We've got like 3 hours to kill," Kisame inquired, turning to Itachi. But before anyone else could speak, Sakura's stomach seemed to decide that it was the perfect time to growl incredibly loudly. Horrified, Sakura slapped her hands over her stomach, trying to ignore Deidara's laughter. Stifling chuckles, Itachi retrieved the guide he had picked up earlier and opened it up, scanning the list of all the classes.

"There's a class doing a café. We could grab lunch there," he suggested, pointing to the name. But Sakura immediately jumped up, shaking her head vehemently.

"That's my class!" she protested, paling.

Everyone fell silent as they seemed to mull this over. After a few seconds, Sasori stepped forward, extracted a pink baseball cap from nowhere, fitted it snuggly over her head and then pulled her hood up over it.

"Now let's eat," the red-head flatly declared as he took her by the hand and dragged her off-stage.

"Wait! Sasori-san, do you even know where you're going?" Sakura half-heartedly protested. After a pause, Sasori stopped and turned back to his friends who were all staring at him.

"No," he replied, unabashed.

Kisame slapped his palm to his forehead with a groan.

* * *

The news of the spectacular performance in the auditorium spread rather quickly. By the time the oddly matched quintet left the auditorium, there were curious heads popping out into the hallway to see what all the commotion was about. While there were some girls squealing over the good-looking, mature college students, that was nothing compared to the outright ogling from the boys. Sakura, who had long since grown accustomed to wearing shorts and the like for dance practice, seemed completely at ease walking down the crowded hallway in her red shorts, sleeveless white hoodie and winged sneakers. And while she chose not to really acknowledge the jeers and shouts of boys asking for her phone number, her four self-appointed bodyguards seemed to bristle at every sound.

"We shouldn't have let her wear shorts, yeah," Deidara muttered mostly under his breath and three heads bobbed in silent assent. Whenever someone would be brave enough (read 'stupid enough') to actually try to address her, Sasori would fix him with such a flat, dead stare that the poor boy would be sufficiently disturbed not to move from the spot. In total, there were five boys frozen to the spot by Sasori's death stare by the time they made their way to Sakura's classroom. Outside, a large white sign was propped up with the words "Sweet Café" written across in girly pink script.

"Ino," Sakura sighed to herself as she recognized the handwriting.

When the group slowed to enter the classroom, everyone around them seemed to take this as a cue to swarm them.

"ONII-CHAN! DO YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND?"

"CAN I TAKE A PHOTO WITH YOU?"

"WHERE ARE YOU GUYS FROM?"

The hoard of girls swept down on them in a barrage of high-pitched squeals and giggles, jostling Sakura out of the way. In the scramble, someone's elbow connected with Sakura's face and a little yelp of pain left Sakura's mouth. Although the hat and hood hid most of her face, the dribble of dark blood down her chin was easily visible to everyone. Having heard the noise, the door to the classroom next-door banged open and Naruto stood in the doorway, wielding his serving tray like a weapon. He caught sight of Sakura and his cerulean eyes grew huge.

"Sak-" he cut himself off before he could reveal her identity. Instead, he shuffled forward, ducking so that he could get a better look at the damage. Naruto cringed as he surveyed her nose for a bit. He glanced around before he looked down at the towel draped over his shoulder for aesthetic purposes and offered it to her.

"Thanks," Sakura quietly said as she carefully wiped her nose, wincing at the dull throb that echoed through her nose.

"Hey! Jerk-wads! Can't you see the lady's hurt?" Naruto hollered in the general direction of the throng of high school girls. At his words, there was a large amount of jostling and protest from the girls. Itachi maneuvered past them and crossed the hall before he put his hands on Sakura's shoulders. He copied Naruto's earlier actions, ducking so that he could peer up into her face. Sakura winced as Itachi took the towel from her hands and patiently wiped the blood from her hand before he dabbed at her chin and lips. It was only then that Sasori's head popped up over the crowd and he noticed Naruto standing beside her and something seemed to click.

"Ah. It's the friend of the raging pervert," he flatly said as he recognized Naruto. Sasori then looked back at Sakura and added, "And she has a nosebleed." At this, Deidara exploded from the gaggle of girls and pushed random people out of the way in an attempt to get to Sakura.

"My-chan! Are you alright?" Deidara spluttered as he threw his arms around her in a constricting hug. With her cheek squished against his chest, it was difficult to speak, making it rather impossible to answer his question. And it was also impossible to communicate this because, as stated earlier, she was smothered in all of Deidara's theatrical love. It was only when Itachi decided to pry Deidara off with his foot that Sakura found herself able to breathe again.

"I highly doubt suffocating her will stop the bleeding, Deidara," Sasori observed as he made his way over to them with Kisame following close after. Itachi surveyed her face once more before he took Sakura by the hand.

"We should get you to the nurse," he declared as he led her in the direction of the infirmary. She stumbled along after him, a little frazzled and a little dizzy until she dug her heels into the ground and tugged once at his hand. Itachi stopped, looking back at her with confusion.

"Can you walk a little slower?" Sakura requested in a small voice as she wiped at her nose again. A low sigh escaped him as he took a step towards her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was walking so fast," Itachi apologized.

"That's alright," she quietly said. They stood looking at each other for a long time. His hand rose, wiping at a thin stream of blood running down her chin. Long fingers lingered on her cheeks and lips, leaving lingering caresses that sent a strange shiver down her spine. But his arm didn't return to his side. He reached out for her again, running his thumb along her lower lip to wipe away the traces of blood that had dried there. The back of Sakura's neck felt unbearably hot as she looked up at him. His dark eyes were intense, focusing in completely on her mouth the entire time.

"Um… thank you," she mumbled, overly-conscious of the way her lips moved against his fingers. That seemed to jolt him out of his reverie. The usual gentle look returned to his eyes as he pulled his hand away. The smile that curved at his lips seemed almost apologetic.

"How did this happen anyway?" Itachi casually inquired as they began walking again. This time, she was walking beside him. Sakura noticed how easily he reached out and took her hand again, like they had been doing so forever. And although she knew it was because she was injured and he wanted to make sure she didn't run into anybody, she couldn't quell the warm tingle that fluttered up in the pit of her stomach.

"Oh um… one of the girls sort of elbowed me… in the face," Sakura explained, trying to recall the exact sequence of events but coming up blank. It had been a sudden blitz of yelling and pushing that had made her temples throb.

"That's my fault. It happens when Deidara and I are together. I should've walked separately," he apologized again and despite her dazed state, Sakura snorted into the towel held to her face. He arched an eyebrow inquisitively at her.

"I'm being serious. Kisame once got a black eye when Deidara convinced me to go to a goukon* with him," Itachi insisted with a completely serious face. Sakura envisioned big, buff Kisame with a bruised eye and she giggled despite the aching pain in her nose. She caught the hint of Itachi's smile and she suspected that he was exaggerating just a little. But before she could question the validity of his story, they arrived at the infirmary and he slid the door open.

"Excuse me? We have an injured student," Itachi called, poking his head in. Sakura squeezed her head into the doorway underneath him and peered around too with wide eyes. The tidy room was completely deserted. Puzzled, Sakura twisted her head around to look up at Itachi.

"Should we leave, Itachi-san?" she asked. But Itachi took hold of her wrist and led her into the room, sliding the door shut behind them. He sat her down on the small red stool in the middle of the room and set about searching through the clear glass cabinets lining the walls. Sakura pinched her nose and winced as fresh pain shot through her tender nose. She must have made some noise because Itachi knelt at her side and held out a large bottle of aspirin.

"Thank you," she sighed with relief. He twisted the cap off and shook two pills into her palm before he went off in search of a cup. A minute later, after the sound of a faucet squeaking and water gurgling, he returned with a glass full of cool water. But in that time, Sakura had already gulped down the pills and smiled sheepishly when he looked startled.

"You dry swallow your pills?" Itachi demanded, looking dubious.

"I used to get sick a lot when I was a little girl. I guess at some point I just learned how to eat medicine without water," Sakura explained with a shrug.

"That must've been hard on your mother," he said, sobering as he set the glass of water down on an open space on the nurse's desk. The smile faded from Sakura's face as she bit her lower lip.

"What's wrong, Sakura-san?" inquired Itachi as he crouched in front of her.

"My Mom… was supposed to be home last month but she suddenly had a conference in Vancouver so she couldn't come," Sakura began, twisting her hands together in her lap. Her voice grew soft and unsure; it was just like it had been the first time they had met. Itachi nodded as a deep furrow appeared in his brow.

"Well since her vacation was bumped back, my mom's coming home in a couple days… and I'm not so sure I want to see her. I'm… I'm sort of mad at her….. and…" Sakura trailed off as she felt her voice waver. She hated feeling so insecure and depressing in front of Itachi but his sympathetic gaze encouraged her to finish her thought.

"And I'm not so sure I know who she is anymore," she added with a little hesitation. She waited, half-expecting him to start laughing at her. But Itachi let out a heavy sigh that told her that he understood. He reached out, taking both of her hands and squeezing them reassuringly.

"No matter what, she's your mother. She still loves you and you still love her. You know that, don't you?" Itachi said with such a gentle expression that Sakura felt her throat closing up. She nodded slowly, biting on her lower lip. His expression tightened when his gaze focused on her mouth and he quickly looked back up at her eyes.

"You shouldn't worry too much. I'm sure she's missed you as much as you've missed her," Itachi assured her as he got to his feet.

"Now. What do we do with your nose?" he said in an overly cheerful tone that she knew was meant to divert her attention. While part of her knew she should be a little insulted that he thought she could be so easily distracted, another part of her smiled and went along with the act and was undeniably grateful for him being there at that moment.

They both decided that cleaning up the blood was the only thing they really had to do since the bleeding stopped rather quickly. 15 minutes later, they walked back to the classroom and Deidara immediately smothered her in hugs as soon as he caught sight of her rounding the corner. Laughing, Sakura untangled herself from Deidara's arms. Unconvinced, Deidara leaned over to peer into her hood, as if to make sure her entire face hadn't fallen off.

"I'm sure she's fine, you big crybaby. Come on, I'm starving to death," Kisame grumbled and Deidara's head shot up. A scowl appeared on his face as Deidara turned to face Kisame.

"Listen Blowfish-chan, My-Chan's face is a gem. An ugly fishy like you wouldn't understand," Deidara snorted and Kisame's eyes narrowed. Just as they began taking threateningly steps towards each other, the classroom door slammed open and Naruto bounded out, obviously running from something.

"Get out of here, Naruto! Go back to your class!" Ino's voice shrieked and Naruto winced as towels and plastic spoons pelted his back.

"It's not my fault you jerks decided to do a café too!" Naruto hollered back, sticking his tongue out. He turned around and his face immediately lit up as he caught sight of Sakura.

"Hey! How's the nose?" he brightly said as he jogged over. Since Ino was standing in the doorway of the class, Sakura didn't risk speaking. Instead, she simply nodded to say that she was alright. Despite often being referred to as dumb, Naruto quickly caught on and he grinned at her.

"That's good. You're probably hungry. We're serving ramen in our café! You should have some!" Naruto suggested with a sly grin. Behind him, Ino bristled, her long ponytail practically standing up straight as she glared at him. But Ino deflated when Sasuke appeared behind her with his face stuck in its usual scowl of disapproval.

"Get out of here, stupid. And quit stealing our customers- Nii-san?" Sasuke broke off as he saw his older brother standing next to Sakura. Deidara and Kisame's faces simultaneously split into evil grins as they saw the younger Uchiha sibling.

"Aw, if isn't Baby Sasu-chan," Kisame cooed as he swooped in and threw his arm over Sasuke's shoulders.

"Where's your widdle tomato-rice bento, Baby Sasu-chan? Did your mommy fowget to make you num-nums?" Deidara leered as he sidled up to Sasuke too, effectively sandwiching him in place. Sasuke's face was frozen in an expression of utter horror.

"Look, Kisame, I think we're scawing widdle Baby Sasu-chan. Awwwww. Are you gonna cwy for Onii-tan?" Deidara said as Kisame roared with laughter. But in the midst of their torturing, Kisame glanced at Sakura over his shoulder and jerk his head toward the classroom, silently urging her to slip inside while everyone was distracted. Sakura looked up at Itachi who nodded. She hardly took notice as he took hold of her hand and lead her into the classroom while everyone watched Kisame mockingly pinch Sasuke's cheeks.

"Remember that time when little Sasu-chan here peed his pants?" Deidara shouted and Sasuke turned scarlet.

"I WAS SEVEN!" Sasuke protested loudly when a few titters arose from the passing girls. Sakura didn't get to hear the rest as Sasori followed after them and politely shut the door. Inside, since Ino was busy watching Sasuke progressively turn from red to purple, it was just a few other students working inside the makeshift café.

"W-welcome. Table f-for 3?" Hinata stuttered, blushing when she met Sasori's flat gaze. Sakura saw his gold eyes survey Hinata, focusing in particularly on her generous chest and she caught his wrist before he could speak. She slowly shook her head and Sasori's mouth slowly clamped shut.

Lunch was a rather calm affair, interrupted only when Deidara and Kisame entered the classroom, laughing raucously as they pulled chairs up to the table and plopped down. It was only a few minutes later that Sasuke stiffly walked in, his face oddly white. When he jerkily strode past their table, he flinched a little when Kisame grinned at him.

"What kind of trauma have you inflicted on him?" Sakura whispered as one of her classmates set a platter of sandwiches down on the table.

"Well, Kisame, Deidara and I have known each other since elementary school. Apparently, they decided when we were little that it was incredibly fun to tease Sasuke," Itachi explained when Deidara and Kisame only gave her mysterious smiles. Sakura took a bite of a sandwich as she shook her head.

"That's really mean but it's also a little funny since it's Prince Sasuke," she said under her breath and Kisame choked on a bite of his food.

"PRINCE SASUKE?" Kisame and Deidara repeated in unison. There was a loud clatter from the other side of the classroom and everyone turned to see Sasuke standing motionless over a broken plate. He slowly lifted his head, turning a sickly shade of green.

"I'm taking my break," he quickly spat before he fled the room.

"People at school call him Prince?" Itachi inquired and Sakura nodded as she calmly took another bite of her sandwich.

"Heh that's sort of funny because Itachi was called King back when we were in high school," Kisame informed her and Sakura simply nodded again. Sasori leaned across the table to poke Sakura in the cheek. She didn't bother to respond.

"You're not really interested because you're hungry," Sasori surmised and Sakura nodded her head in the same slow fashion.

"Evil black hole squirrel," Kisame snorted. Very mysteriously, when he looked down, his sandwich disappeared off his plate.

"Hey!" he complained, looking over at Sakura with an accusatory frown. She continued calmly munching on her sandwich while Deidara snickered and accepted the stolen food she passed him under the table.

Half an hour later, they finished their meal, paid (with the men covering Sakura's part of the tab and silently daring her to protest with their glares) and spent a little time visiting other classrooms and munching on the takoyaki they had bought in one of the rooms before they headed back to the auditorium where a small crowd had already gathered outside the doors. Sakura climbed onstage, ignoring the teasing whistle from Kisame as she did so.

Since they had an hour to kill, everyone took turns showing off moves on the stage, cheering each other on and laughing whenever someone made a mistake. At one point, Sasori decided that this was an appropriate time to dance the samba with Sakura so he proceeded to do so. And Sakura surprised everyone by showing off the fact that she actually knew how to dance to the samba very well. By the time the actual performance started, the audience was packed and some people were forced to stand in the back because there was no room. When everything was packed back into the van and Kisame was driving them back to KU at the end of the day, Sakura could still hear the thunderous applause ringing in her ears. Even when she drifted off to sleep, her head drooping against Itachi's shoulder, the echoes of cheers resounded in her head, slowly growing deeper and slower until they turned into the sounds of her heart thumping inside her chest.

Two days later, Sakura stood at the airport, tapping her foot nervously against the glossy floor. She watched the unfamiliar faces stream out into the terminal, their expressions weary from travel. And unsurprisingly, one of the last people to filter out was a woman with wavy pink hair held back with a rhinestone clip.

"Sakura!" the woman exclaimed upon seeing her and ran over, her high heels clicking loudly against tile. She threw her arms around Sakura, engulfing her in the sweet scent of floral perfume. At first, Sakura froze, her arms hanging uselessly at her sides. But a kind face popped up in her head followed by a chuckle she had come to know well.

"_I'm sure she's missed you as much as you missed her."_

So Sakura finally allowed herself to smile as she reached up and tightly hugged her mother back.

"Hi, mom."

* * *

Haruno Kirie was 39 years old. She had the same heart-shaped face and wide forehead as her daughter as well as the pink hair and fair complexion. Overall, Sakura had inherited most of her physical appearance from her mother save her eyes. On the inside, however, they couldn't have been more different.

"My! It's been such a long time since I've been in Japan. Let's take a trip to Hokkaido!" Kirie suddenly announced as they walked out of the airport. Sakura sighed as she dragged her mother's suitcase behind her.

"I have school, mom," Sakura logically pointed out. Kirie pouted.

"You're no fun. How about we go to the beach instead?"

"I have homework to do, mom."

"Let's go have dinner at that Italian restaurant!"

"Do you have any idea how expensive that is? Besides, I already went grocery shopping yesterday," Sakura calmly countered, expecting the barrage of requests. Eventually, Kirie seemed to give up and she nodded. Smiling, she reached over and petted the top of Sakura's head.

"You've grown up a lot, Sakura. When did you become so pretty all of the sudden?" Kirie laughed and Sakura did too.

"What am I saying? You've always been pretty," Kirie corrected herself. Sakura didn't reply as she flagged down a taxi and they loaded luggage together into the trunk before climbing in. Back home, Kirie hovered in the kitchen as Sakura peeled potatoes, chopped carrots and boiled water, as if at any moment, Sakura might chop off her own arm by accident. And each time Kirie tried to help, Sakura shooed her away, insisting that she rest and that cooking stew wasn't that difficult.

"You know, you seem to be getting along pretty well without me," Kirie half-complained as they sat down to a dinner of beef stew.

"I sort of have to," Sakura retorted and immediately regretted it. She hadn't meant for it to come out so angrily. Almost immediately, she could see the droop in her mother's thin shoulders.

"I know…. I'm sorry," Kirie softly said, looking down at her hands.

Sakura heaved a big sigh as she raked her fingers through her hair.

Dinner was eaten in awkward silence.

Dishes were done together in relative quiet.

It was only when Sakura had finished her homework and changed into her pajamas that she found the courage to find her mother. Kirie was standing in the living room, staring at the framed photographs arranged neatly on the bookshelf. Each frame was polished and free of dust, lovingly wiped and placed in a perfect line. Each photo depicted memories of them as a family, the records growing scarcer and scarcer as Sakura grew taller and taller.

"Mom," Sakura called and Kirie slowly turned.

"You know I love you, right?" she said and Kirie's tired face lightened into a smile.

"I know, honey. I love you too," replied Kirie as she crossed the room and enveloped Sakura in a hug.

Sakura was startled by the fact that she now had to lean over to hug her mother. And she wondered when her strong, independent mother had begun to feel so frail in her arms. And for the first time in a while, Sakura didn't just say "mom". She felt the word deep inside her chest as she rested her chin on her mother's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Welcome home, mommy."

* * *

*Goukon is a group date.

Reviews please because they motivate me to write more.


	10. Red is for Christmas

I should be apologizing and explaining that I haven't been able to write because of school. But since I'm writing this instead of studying for my Psych final, I'd say this seems fair. In light of my rather extreme back-up, I've decided to trim and edit this chapter to include what I had planned for my Christmas chapter. I'm sure everyone will appreciate this chapter because I'm sure that I've developed a cavity or two while writing it.

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Fancy Footwork

Chapter 10: Red is for Christmas

Sakura tapped her pencil against the floor. Her lower lip jutted out in a pout as she stared intently at the book opened in front of her. There was a loud thump beside her but she didn't even bother to look up to find the source of the noise.

"Hungry, My-chan?" Deidara's voice inquired as half of a sandwich was waved under her nose.

"No thank you, Deidara-san," Sakura replied as flipped furiously through the pages, forehead wrinkling as she scanned the passing words.

"You want me to get you some water then?"

"No thank you," she distractedly answered as she popped off the cap of her highlighter and boxed a paragraph in bright yellow. Deidara huffed as he noisily consumed his sandwich beside her, scattering crumbs across open pages. She finally paused to shoot him a pointed look. He grinned sheepishly and waggled his fingers at her.

"Let's go get dinner after this, My-chan. I'm starving and you're working too hard. It's making **my** head hurt," Deidara said, patting his stomach. Sakura shut her book while shaking her head. She eyed the empty sandwich wrappers piled up beside him with wide eyes.

"Sorry. My mom's flight to Dubai is in a few hours. I'm having dinner with her before she leaves. Maybe tomorrow," Sakura said as she swung her messenger bag over her shoulder and struggled for a minute to cram the heavy book into what little space was left inside. Sasori wandered over to her side of the room, chewing on a lollipop with a thoughtful expression. He watched her for a moment before he extended his hand to her and helped her to her feet. Deidara's smile faded as he stared up at her.

"Everything okay with your mom, yeah?" Deidara inquired in a much softer voice. Sakura, hearing the change in his tone, hesitated for a moment before she looked down at him.

"It's been… strange seeing her all the time. But I think I like it," she finally replied and he looked relieved. Nodding sagely, Deidara sprang to his feet and threw his arms around her in the usual hug filled with enthusiasm. And like always, he pressed a noisy kiss to the top of her head and she immediately erupted into a violent shade of scarlet while Kisame and Sasori dealt simultaneous blows to his forehead and his knee. Sakura cleared her throat as she rubbed at her hair and watched Sasori assault his best friend with a newspaper.

"He did it again?" Itachi guessed as he entered the studio, mussing his damp hair with a towel. He had just come from the private bathroom located on the floor above that was reserved strictly for their dance crew by the university. Sakura nodded and he chuckled as he tossed the towel over his shoulder and ran his fingers through his dark hair. Itachi winced as his hand caught in a particularly stubborn knot, arm raised in an awkward position.

"Bad hair day, Rapunzel?" Kisame began chortling but his laughter quickly died when Itachi pinned him with a withering stare.

"Do you need any help, Itachi-san?" Sakura finally asked when Itachi tugged and found his hand unmoving. He frowned and looked ready to refuse. But his eyes darted up to look at his arm and he reluctantly nodded, heaving a great sigh. Sakura resisted the urge to laugh as she walked over to him and peered past his arm to catch a glimpse of the gigantic snarl of hair eating his hand.

"Um… let's go over here," she said, taking his free hand and guiding him to the bench by the window. She tugged his hand down and he obliged, sitting as gracefully as he could. Perching on the edge of the bench, she nudged his arm to the right and delved into his wet hair, patiently pulling apart the strands. Eventually, he relaxed, leaning his head back so that it rested comfortably against her leg. Even when she had completely untangled everything, she continued to slowly run her fingers through his hair, pretending to search for knots she knew wouldn't be there.

"How did this even happen?" she asked as she nudged his shoulder with her knee. She thought she saw his back stiffen for a moment and then he let out a surprisingly weary sigh.

"I ran out of conditioner," Itachi quietly replied in an almost-mumble and Sakura's hands immediately flew up to clamp over her mouth. Still, a giggle escaped her and he heard. He turned around, fixing her with a stern look but she couldn't stop the mirth that bubbled up her throat. To both their surprises, they glanced over and found Kisame crouching beside them, his face purple with the effort to stop himself from making noise. Sakura's eyes met Kisame's and they simultaneously exploded into laughter that echoed across the room. Tears streaming down her cheeks, Sakura fell to the side, sprawling across the bench as she tried to catch her breath. Kisame was on the floor, pounding vigorously with his fists as broken fragments of sentences spilled from his mouth.

"You! CONDITIONER! HA!" Kisame managed to wheeze and this sent Sakura into fresh peals of laughter.

"Hey! There's nothing wrong with a man taking good care of his hair, yeah! Just because you're unforgivably ugly doesn't mean you can laugh at those who aren't, Dolphin-chan!" Deidara interrupted with a scowl. Sakura rolled off the bench and her feet ended up in Itachi's lap as she struggled to breathe properly. Kisame dragged his body across the floor and collapsed beside Sakura where his booming chuckles only made her laugh harder. After a while, mostly due to a lack of oxygen, they managed to quiet down enough that they let out only the occasional snort.

Itachi's lips pressed into a tight line, like he was trying his best not to smile too. His gaze met Sakura's and she tittered again as she hid her face in her hands.

"If you're finished laughing at me, we should get going, Sakura-san," Itachi calmly said and Kisame mashed his fist against his mouth, unsuccessfully trying to quell his chortle. This time, Deidara's stern expression shifted and a leer spread across his face.

"Oh? I thought Sakura-chan was having dinner with her mom," Kisame interjected, eyebrows waggling suggestively.

"Our moms were friends during university so Mikoto-san invited us over to eat," Sakura flatly replied, fixing Kisame with a look that made him snort derisively.

"Stealing My-chan from me, yeah," Deidara muttered to himself as he crossed his arms over his chest and Sasori rolled his eyes.

"Come to think of it, since when was Sakura-chan yours, Goldilocks?" Kisame demanded. At this, Deidara looked outraged as he gestured to his body.

"Look at me, yeah. What kind of girl wouldn't want a piece of this?" Deidara declared and Sasori brought a rolled up newspaper down on top of his head. Rubbing his head furiously, Deidara whirled around to scowl at Sasori.

"What? It's true! Look at my hot body, my style, my sexy voice and-" Disgusted by the growing list, Kisame grabbed a handful of chips from an opened bag and lobbed them straight at the blonde's face while Sasori smacked Deidara in the back of the head.

"I'm KIDDING!" Deidara shouted as he ducked to avoid another blow from Sasori, only to be grabbed in a headlock by Kisame.

"And on that sickening note, we'll get going. See you tomorrow," Itachi firmly said as he got to his feet. Sakura giggled as she stood and waved at everybody. She received a chorus of greetings as she walked out the door after Itachi. As they descended the stairs, Itachi glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"I'm slightly insulted, Sakura-san. Like you don't use conditioner," he began and it took her a second to realize that he was teasing her. In response, she frowned at him, scrunching up her nose in the process. They both laughed as they emerged from the building and walked to Itachi's car. Sakura hopped in and buckled the seatbelt, unaware of Itachi watching her. When she looked up, he had already turned his attention to starting the car and backing out of the parking space.

"So… Dubai?" Itachi began and Sakura shrugged.

"Dubai it is."

"It's almost Christmas."

"I know. She knows. It wouldn't be the first time I've spent Christmas alone."

At this, Itachi looked over at her and she tried her best to make her smile convincing. But his frown let her know that he saw through her ruse. He shook his head with a disapproving expression.

"You can come spend Christmas with us. I know my father would love that," Itachi sighed and Sakura arched her eyebrows at him.

"Your father?" she repeated, wondering if she had heard him wrong.

"You wouldn't believe it, but he likes you a lot. He's just incapable of expressing his feelings," Itachi clarified and Sakura huffed.

"It seems that's genetic," she joked and he rolled his eyes at her. Sakura stuck her tongue out at him before she dug through the glove compartment and chose a CD to pop into the stereo. For the rest of the ride, Sakura bobbed her head along to the music and mouthed the words. Every once in a while, he would look her way, she would smile and he would return the expression. When they reached the Uchiha family's residence, Sakura's mouth automatically opened to complain when Itachi reached over to take her bag. But when he pointed to her ankle, a smug smile touched her lips.

"I'm not injured anymore," Sakura reminded him but his expression didn't change as his finger moved to point towards the house.

"I'll never hear the end of it if my parents see you carrying something heavy without me trying to help you," he explained and Sakura's lower lip jutted out in a pout as she took in his words. After a moment, she reluctantly agreed and hopped out of the car. As they walked up the stone walkway, the smell of food wafted out and smacked them straight in the faces. Sakura took a deep breath and sighed.

"What's dessert for tonight?" Itachi inquired as he reached into his pocket for the key. Sakura grinned as she reached into her jacket and pulled out a light blue index card and waved it in front of her face.

"Blueberry cheesecake," she proudly announced and she watched his expression sharpen with interest. Itachi didn't say anything but he hastened in unlocking the front door and walking inside and Sakura couldn't suppress the urge to laugh a little. As she stepped into the foyer and slipped off her shoes, she heard Mikoto's laughter from the kitchen.

"Good evening, Fugaku-san," Sakura cheerfully said as she walked past the living room. Fugaku was sitting in his usual armchair with a newspaper open in his lap. A soccer game was playing on the TV. Since Fugaku never watched the TV, this drew her attention and she paused in the doorway. To her surprise, there was a second person in the room who was sprawled across the sofa.

"Ah, Sakura-chan. You're early," Fugaku remarked in a distinctly approving tone as he looked up at her from his newspaper. There was no better way to earn Uchiha Fugaku's heart than to be punctual. Sakura momentarily forgot her shock as she remembered to smile politely at him. However, Sasuke decided then to tear his attention away from the game and stared at her, eyes widening.

"What," Sasuke flatly said without any inflection in his voice. Sakura looked straight back at him, unsure of how to react. So she fervently spilled mental blessings upon Fugaku when he glanced over at his youngest son and frowned sternly at him.

"Feet off the table, Sasuke. And is that any way to greet a guest?" Fugaku lectured and Sasuke sulked as he slowly lowered his feet. The older man continued his scolding and Sasuke bowed his head as he listened. Itachi's hand darted out from the hallway and grabbed her arm. He pulled her into the hallway and she crashed straight into his chest. But instead of blushing, she met his wide-eyed expression of relief and she giggled.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know Sasuke would be home," Itachi whispered as they both peered out and watched Fugaku continue to speak and Sasuke's shoulders slumping lower and lower.

"I didn't know either. I thought Sasu-chan was going out with his friends. I'm sorry too, Sakura-chan," Mikoto said in hushed tones as she tip-toed out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on the front of her apron. Sakura smiled as Mikoto enveloped her in a warm hug that smelled of food and laundry soap. Behind her, Kirie followed and she beamed as she threw her arms around Sakura next.

"Itachi-kun said he wanted Italian food so we're having Chicken Marengo. What're your plans for dessert?" Mikoto queried as she took her by the shoulders and ushered her into the kitchen.

"Cheesecake. But that can wait for later. Do you need any help with the chicken?" Sakura said, shedding her dark blue jacket and leaving it on the back of a chair.

"Oh no. We're almost done. We were just waiting for you two. Do you want to get started with dessert then?" Mikoto said. Sakura thought for a moment and then nodded. She turned to her, making shooing motions and pushing the Uchiha matriarch away from the stove. Smiling fondly, Mikoto sat at the island on a stool and motioned for Kirie to join her as they watched Sakura cross the room and wash her hands in the sink. As she dried her hands, she looked around for the spare apron Mikoto saved for her but Itachi had already located it and lowered it over her head.

"I don't need help with that, Itachi-san!" she complained as he turned her around and neatly tied a bow in the back. They both turned when they heard the two mothers giggling together.

"Mother," Itachi sighed and Mikoto looked at him with wide, innocent eyes. And Sakura mashed her lips together in a fake pout as she eyed her own mother. Kirie simply tittered but didn't say anything in response. Clearing her throat, Sakura took a few steps away from him and busied herself with tying her hair.

The truth was, ever since the cultural festival at school, she had felt a little strange around Itachi. Well, stranger than usual. They had spent lots of times together, just the two of them, whether it was in his car on the way to dance rehearsal or in a deserted classroom. But each time she remembered the way his gaze had focused in on her mouth at the school clinic, she felt her cheeks burn.

It had been almost a month ago and she was trying her best to pretend nothing had happened. Itachi didn't seem to be having any problems with it so she was trying her best to act normal too. Nothing had changed really. Maybe he sat a little closer, maybe she playfully bumped against his side a little more, but she was sure that she was overreacting.

"Do you need any help, Sakura-san?" Itachi inquired, putting his hand on her shoulder and she jumped as she let out a squeak. When she turned around, he was looking at her like he was trying his best not to laugh at her reaction. Still very aware of the weight of his hand on her shoulder, she smiled.

"Do you mind watching the chicken so it doesn't burn?" she requested and Itachi complied, picking up the wooden spoon and standing dutifully at the stove. As the two older women chatted, Sakura gathered ingredients and stood at the counter, measuring cups of sugar and sifting flour. Since everything else was cluttered with already-cooked food and the like, she was forced to stand right next to Itachi, so close that their elbows occasionally bumped. When she poured blueberries into a small saucepan, he leaned over her shoulder to get a better look.

"Do those go in with the wet ingredients?" he asked with genuine curiosity as she tried her best to keep her voice even as she measured a heaping cup of sugar and poured it on top of the plump blue fruit.

"No," she replied, laughing. They were both quiet again as she grated the rind off of a lemon, filling the kitchen with the fresh scent.

"This is going to be the topping for the cheesecake," Sakura explained as she poured the rest of the ingredients into the saucepan and set it on the empty burner beside the one occupied with fragrant chicken. She stirred once, letting the sugar spread evenly over the fruit before she licked the spoon and hummed approvingly before tossing it in the sink. Neither of them realized that their mothers had stopped talking and were eying them with interest.

When the batter was done, Sakura peered into the round pan to make sure everything was level before she popped it into the oven. By then, the blueberries had popped to form a sweet reddish-purple sauce. She took the pot off the heat for a minute to let it cool before she carefully took a spoonful and blew on it.

"Try it for me? I usually make everything too sweet," Sakura said, holding up the spoon to Itachi. So with one hand under the spoon to catch any spills, Sakura guided it to Itachi's mouth and watched with anxiety for his reaction. It was at that precise moment that Sasuke ambled rather grumpily into the kitchen with his hands jammed deep into his pockets.

Sasuke rarely looked surprised. But his jaw dropped when he watched Itachi casually reach behind Sakura for another handful of blueberries. The way his wrist grazed the small of her back seemed accidental, yet the way he looked at Sakura's blush made it obvious that it wasn't.

"A little too sweet," Itachi remarked and Sakura shrugged with a resigned smile.

"What's wrong, Sasu-chan? I thought you were watching the game with dad?" Mikoto inquired, noticing her youngest son standing awkwardly in the doorway. Sasuke blinked out of his stupor, scowling.

"Father's been scolding his manners again," Itachi explained, not looking up from the food. Sakura grimaced sympathetically without looking up either.

"Should I add some more lemon?" Sakura wondered out loud. They were bent over the saucepan together. Sakura's mouth was puckered up as she pondered. And the way Itachi watched her was enough to make Sasuke raise his eyebrows.

"Oh well. You know your father means well, honey," Mikoto gently reminded him and Sasuke nodded sullenly.

"I'm sure Fugaku-san will lighten up once he eats," Sakura said almost under her breath. Itachi chuckled his assent. This drew Sasuke's curious gaze back to them. Sakura glanced up at him and she could almost see the gears turning inside his head. As Sasuke's mouth opened, the doorbell rang and the brothers exchanged pointed looks.

"The food will burn, baby brother," Itachi simply argued. So, muttering darkly, Sasuke stalked off to open the front door. Immediately, he was bombarded with a loud yet familiar voice.

"Wow! Something smells amazing!" Naruto exclaimed as he walked straight past Sasuke, barely pausing to wriggle out of his sneakers. Sasuke stood dumbfounded in the foyer as Naruto paused to quietly greet Fugaku (who merely grunted in response) and then proceeded to run into the kitchen while rubbing his growling stomach. Confused, Sasuke tentatively followed after his boisterous friend just in time to see Naruto running straight to Sakura.

"Hey there! Thanks for inviting me, Sakura-chan! I was running out of ramen," the blonde said as he went to throw his arms around her. But he stopped short when he saw Itachi standing over her shoulder. He didn't say anything and Sakura looked over her shoulder and saw that Itachi didn't look at all threatening. However, something must have passed between them because Naruto settled for patting her shoulder. Puzzled, she twisted around to look at Itachi again but his face gave nothing away.

The cake came out of the oven a short while later. Naruto groaned longingly as she whisked the cheesecake away and put it into the freezer to solidify. As the sweet perfume of sugary delight filled the kitchen, everyone else bustled around setting the table while Naruto stood morosely in front of the freezer.

"Come on, idiot. After dinner," Sasuke finally muttered as he took Naruto by the arm and dragged him to the dining room.

Fugaku was already sitting at the head of the rectangular table. Mikoto took her usual place to his right while Itachi sat to his left. But when Sasuke moved to sit to his brother's left, Sakura was already sitting there. Kirie settled happily beside Mikoto. Scowling, he moved to sit next to Sakura, but Naruto pushed past him and plopped down in the chair. He opened his mouth to insult the blonde's idiocy, but Naruto turned around to give him an evil grin and he realized that Naruto wasn't as oblivious as he appeared.

So, Sasuke sat sullenly next to Sakura's mother during dinner, grumbling inwardly even as he ate a delicious meal.

"How's school, Sakura-chan?" Mikoto asked as they ate. When all eyes at the table focused on her, she turned a faint shade of pink. Itachi lightly nudged her elbow and wiped at the right corner of his mouth. She hastily lifted her napkin to wipe her face and then looked up at the Uchiha matriarch.

"Oh. School's good, Mikoto-san," she politely replied.

"I hear you ranked number one on your finals. That's very impressive," Fugaku added and Sakura's mouth curled up into a shy smile. But her smile faded when she noticed the implicit accusation at the end of his statement: _unlike someone_. And with his eyes focused on his son, it wasn't difficult to guess who his silence was directed at. When she glanced in Sasuke's direction, he momentarily met her eyes and then stared down at the table, his hands clenching into fists. Thinking quickly, she cleared her throat.

"Well, Itachi-san tutored me in some subjects so it's really not that impressive," Sakura said and Itachi rolled his eyes.

"Father, I literally helped her on two questions," Itachi assured him and Fugaku chuckled. Sakura saw Sasuke's eyes widen and she understood. Strict Mr. Uchiha rarely laughed and it still surprised her whenever he even smiled.

"I guess she's just like her mom. Kirie-senpai was a brilliant student," Mikoto said and Kirie snorted in an extremely un-lady-like manner. The conversation flowed smoothly from then on, quickly washing over that tense moment. Just once, Sasuke's foot nudged her shin under the table and when Sakura looked up, he nodded once in thanks. The chicken disappeared quickly, followed by hearty compliments to the chefs. When Sakura momentarily slipped away to retrieve dessert, she could feel Naruto's excited eyes following her. The cheesecake was perfectly moist and soft and the tangy blueberry topping was just tart enough to balance out the sweetness. It was met with noises of approval from all around the table and even sullen Sasuke (who hated sweet food) ate without complaint.

At the end of the meal, Mikoto and Kirie quickly excused themselves to go clean up the kitchen. Sakura lingered for a moment to finish her glass of water before she got to her feet, piling dirty plates and carrying them off. Itachi quietly excused himself too and gathered the rest to follow her. He caught up with her in the doorway and lifted a particularly heavy serving bowl off of her pile. At first, she wanted to protest, but she settled for wrinkling her nose at him before they both entered into the kitchen to help. But as soon as they set foot inside, the two mothers snatched away the plates and shooed them off. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the doorway, Sakura and Itachi looked at each other and exchanged exasperated smiles.

"Do you think we can smuggle some ice cream past them?" Sakura whispered and the corner of Itachi's mouth lifted in a confident smirk that made her heart flutter madly in her chest. She felt her eyes widen as alarm flooded her. Was she having some sort of heart episode? It had never behaved quite that way before.

"Of course, Sakura-san," Itachi assured her before he eased into the kitchen. Still a little concerned for her cardiac health, Sakura found her feet taking her to the back porch where she usually spent her time on Sunday nights. It was a bit nippy outside even with her jacket on but it wasn't unbearable so she sat on the edge of the porch, swinging her legs over the edge. As she waited, she slipped her phone from her pocket and scrolled through her contacts to Hinata's number. But she stopped short. Although Hinata had become her closest friend at school, she somehow doubted that the other girl would be able to offer much help. If anything, her question would probably make her worry. Instead, Sakura found Konan's number.

_My chest's been feeling strange lately. _

She sent the message and slipped her phone back in her pocket just as something unbearably cold touched the side of her neck and she yelped.

"Itachi-san!" Sakura complained as swatted at him. Chuckling, Itachi sat on the porch beside her and handed her the carton of ice cream and a spoon. He sat cross-legged, chin propped up in his hand as he watched her eagerly open the container and dig out a large hunk of strawberry ice cream.

As she stuck a spoonful of sweet second dessert in her mouth, her phone vibrated. When she retrieved it from her pocket, she nearly choked on her spoon.

_It means you like him. _

It took her a while to convince Itachi that she was fine, even as she clutched her phone in her hands like a gun. Thankfully, it was soon time for Kirie to go catch her flight so she quickly thanked the members of the Uchiha household for their hospitality and waved at Naruto before she called for a taxi to take them to the airport. As she climbed into the back seat, Kirie settled in beside her. When the car pulled onto the highway, Sakura felt her mother's light brown eyes glancing at her.

"What's wrong?" Sakura inquired as she turned to face her mother.

"I probably won't be able to come home for at least a month, honey," Kirie began apologetically.

"I know. That's okay," she assured her but Kirie didn't look convinced.

"We can video chat. I just got a smartphone," Kirie added, still looking nervous.

"It's really okay, mom." As she spoke, Sakura patted her mother's hand and Kirie looked ready to cry.

"It's alright if you're mad at me."

"I'm not."

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too."

So, Haruno Kirie took her plane to Dubai while Sakura stood in the bustling airport, watching the white plane soar high into the air.

The train station was a short walk from the airport and she mostly napped on the long ride back to her house. As she got off at her station, she dug her phone out to stare at the simple message still on the screen.

_It means you like him._

"It could also mean I have a congenital heart disorder," Sakura muttered to herself as she trudged down the sidewalk. Immersed deeply in her thoughts, she didn't hear someone shouting her name from down the street. It was only when someone clapped her on the shoulder that she paid attention. Tenten was smiling at her with a duffel bag swung over her shoulder. Her brown hair was wet and she was dressed in a sweatshirt and leggings, probably fresh from track practice.

"What're you zoning out for? Are you heading home?" Tenten asked pleasantly. Sakura looked down at her phone and then up at Tenten's face before she stuck the phone in the other girl's face.

"PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THIS MEANS!"

Somewhere inside her brain, Sakura was grateful that the other girl didn't laugh at her. Sakura wasn't sure how, but Tenten managed to calm her enough to escort her a few blocks to a nearby café. It was a tiny, musty place that she probably wouldn't have known existed had Tenten not opened the door for her. The owner seemed to recognize Tenten as the girls sat in a corner booth.

"2 coffees please!" Tenten called and the old man at the counter nodded. When their drinks arrived, Sakura dumped at least four spoonfuls of sugar into her cup before stirring so hard that white foam rose to the top of her drink. Laughing, Tenten pried the spoon from Sakura's shaking hand.

"So, what exactly happened?" the brunette demanded before she took a sip of her drink. Sakura fiddled with the edge of her sleeve, trying to gather her words.

"Senpai… have you ever been talking to someone and suddenly your heart suddenly feels like it's going to explode?" Sakura began. But before she could finish, Tenten's eyes were wide. She pointed a finger in between Sakura's eyes.

"Spill! Who's the guy? I have no girl friends other than you, so be detailed," Tenten ordered. Sakura simply gaped at her, unsure of what to say.

"You obviously have a crush on someone. Who is it? Is it that red-head? Or that blonde?" Tenten grilled her mercilessly and Sakura flapped her hands insistently.

"Of course not!" Sakura blurted out and Tenten laughed.

"Okay, then it's obviously that Itachi guy," Tenten inferred and Sakura froze. A devious smile spread across Tenten's face as she waggled her finger.

"I knew it! He's always watching you, you know?"

At this, Sakura almost forgot her own concerns.

"He is?" she asked and Tenten rolled her eyes.

"Not in a weird way. But sort of… protectively? It's cute," Tenten explained but Sakura was just confused.

"I don't think that's anything weird. I mean, I'm the same age as his brother so it would make sense for him to feel sort of protective-" Sakura's line of logic was interrupted by Tenten's exasperated look.

"Sakura, since when has your chest been feeling funny?" inquired Tenten and Sakura took a moment to think.

Ever since she had first met Itachi, something about his maturity had always made her a little nervous. And whenever he smiled at her while he drove his car or whenever he stood at a window and the light hit him the right way- The more she thought, she more she realized that it had always been that way. It had just gotten more intense.

"So pretty much always," Tenten surmised as she watched the shock spread across Sakura's face. Sakura nodded mutely.

"So you've liked him from the beginning, but now that you know him better, you **really** like him," Tenten explained and Sakura shook her head furiously.

"No way! He told me he sees me like a younger sister, senpai!" Sakura insisted and Tenten snorted.

"Did he actually say that?" Tenten demanded and Sakura's mouth opened but then promptly closed.

"Case closed. You like Uchiha Itachi and I'm about 90 percent sure he likes you too. Happy?"

"That's impossible!" protested Sakura. But even as she denied it, everything flooded back to her. The unreasonable eagerness to spend time with him, the way she blushed whenever their eyes would lock for too long. And as she thought, she suddenly remembered the moment in the clinic during the cultural festival, the way his gaze lingered on her mouth and the way she had secretly wished for something else to have happened. Letting out an incoherent groan of frustration, Sakura rubbed her face furiously with her hands.

"Noooo!" she moaned.

She felt so stupid, falling for two Uchiha's one after another. (Although some small part of her argued that unlike Sasuke, Itachi was a great person.) Even after she had sobbed and sworn never to leave herself vulnerable ever again. Her head drooped and she smacked her forehead against the table once for good measure. In another burst of frustration, she ran her fingers through her hair.

"I can't believe you didn't figure that out on your own since you're so smart, Sakura," Tenten commented and Sakura whimpered.

"Listen, if he's as nice as I think he is, you should at least confess to him. The worst that can happen is that he tells you he likes you like family and you stay friends," Tenten logically pointed out. Sakura tentatively lifted her head, her hair a wild mess of pink.

"You think so?"

"I know so," Tenten replied with confidence and Sakura found it in her to smile a little.

* * *

Sakura stared disbelievingly at her phone.

It was already December 24th.

It had already been almost two weeks since Tenten had given her a pep talk. And, following her instructions so well, Sakura had proceeded to act like a skittish deer around Itachi until even Deidara was watching her strangely.

"What're you doing for Christmas, Kitten?" Kisame inquired as Sakura knelt on the floor to lace up her boots. She had already taken a shower after practice and the men were just finishing washing up after her. She always felt a little bad that they waited for her to bathe before them so she wouldn't feel nervous. But any protests she had were either silenced by a lollipop from Sasori or Kisame's loud voice purposely drowning hers out. Sakura pulled on her red pea coat as she thought.

"Well, Mikoto-san invited me over for the day since my mother's still away…" Sakura began and the uncertainty in her voice made Kisame raise an eyebrow at her.

"You probably don't want to go," Kisame observed and Sakura, startled, looked up at him.

"What makes you say that, Kisame-san?" Sakura asked, tilting her head a little. But before Kisame could answer, Itachi entered the studio, his damp hair already up in a ponytail and Sakura immediately averted her eyes, trying desperately to hide the blush already rising to her cheeks as she busied herself with buttoning her coat. Unlike Deidara and Sasori, Itachi had the decency to put on both his pants and his shirt before coming downstairs. Still, it was very difficult not to stare with his toned arm muscles flexing as he got dressed.

"That," Kisame chuckled. Sakura glanced up at him to quickly stick her tongue out at him before turning away.

"It's getting late. I think I'll head home now!" Sakura hurriedly said as she wound her scarf around her neck and grabbed her stuff before half-running to the door.

"Hold on, Sakura-san. It's snowing outside. I'll drive you home," Itachi said before she could make it to the door. Groaning inwardly, she managed her best smile, trying not to look too devastated. She waited anxiously for him to gather his things, her fingers nervously tugging at the bottom of her jacket. When Sasori and Deidara joined them a few minutes later, Deidara cast her one worried look but didn't say anything.

"I'll drop Sakura-san off at her house. Good night, everyone," Itachi finally greeted everyone and received a chorus of similar words.

"Bye," Sakura quickly said before she scurried out of the studio before Itachi.

"….Is she alright, yeah?" Deidara inquired, extremely concerned. Sakura's increasingly twitchy behavior over the past couple weeks made him wonder if he had maybe gone too far with the hugging and teasing. As if reading his mind, Sasori shook his head and jerked his head at Itachi's back as he exited.

"Oh!" Deidara said, finally comprehending. He exchanged devious glances with Kisame as he zipped up his coat.

But Sakura was too preoccupied to wonder what Deidara was thinking because she was already outside and briskly walking to Itachi's car. When they climbed into the vehicle, Itachi didn't immediately stick his key in the ignition. Instead, he took a deep breath and turned his head to look at her.

"Is something the matter, Sakura-san?" Itachi inquired and the genuine concern in his tone made her throat feel tight. Damn him for being so considerate.

"Nope," she replied, hating how squeaky her voice sounded. She stared straight ahead and she could feel his gaze focused on the side of her face for a long time before he sighed and started the car. The ride was awkward and silent all the way to her apartment. Her hands clenched so hard in her lap that her knuckles turned white and she knew that he kept glancing her way as he drove. But she knew that if she looked at him, **really** looked at him, she would either blurt out everything or start hyperventilating and neither option seemed appealing to her at the moment. Instead, she muttered "thank you" when he stopped in front of her apartment complex and quickly scurried up to her home. She peeked past her curtain and saw that his car sat for a long time outside before it finally took off into the dark night.

She sat on her bed for a long time, staring out the window and watching the falling snow slowly fill in the tire tracks he left behind. Eventually, she managed to tear herself away from the window to wash up and force down a granola bar for dinner before she climbed into bed, burrowing under the covers. She lay in the darkness for a long time, staring blankly at her cell phone on her nightstand, half-hoping for a text. And when she finally did fall asleep, all she saw were his dark eyes stealing worried glances at her.

The next morning, an accustomed yet unwanted pounding pulled her from sleep. Groaning, she hugged her pillow to her chest and waited for it to go away. But she knew who it was and knew that the earth was more likely to stop spinning than for the noise to disappear. So, eyes barely opening, Sakura wrapped the covers around herself before she shuffled through the apartment and to the front door.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS, MY-CHAN!" Deidara's voice sang too cheerfully. She unlocked the door and slowly pulled it open. Squinting against the feeble light that peeked in, she looked out at four familiar and, at the moment, completely unwelcome faces. As if sensing her burning desire to slam the door on them, Sasori held up an array of colorful gift bags. Kisame copied him with a hopeful grin, showing off the crudely-wrapped boxes with tape layered thickly on the edges. So Sakura grudgingly opened the door wider to let them in.

"You look like you got in a fight, Kitten," Kisame teased as she retreated back to her room to wash up and change out of her pajamas. When she emerged a few minutes later with her hair tied up into a ponytail, everyone had already gathered in the living room. Rolling up the sleeves of her shirt, she settled on the sofa between Sasori and Deidara.

"Can someone please explain why you're all here? I thought we agreed to exchange gifts tomorrow," Sakura immediately demanded and Sasori and Kisame turned to point accusatory fingers at Deidara.

"This one said he couldn't wait and he kept whining and whining until Kisame decided we either listen to him or kill him and hide the body," Sasori explained. For a moment, she knew exactly what Sasori was thinking, that he would have preferred the second option. When she smiled at him, he nodded gravely.

"Anyway! Here's yours, Goldfish-chan. And yours, Itachi. And yours, Sasori," Deidara loudly interrupted, handing out the boxes neatly wrapped in shiny silver paper. He reached behind him to pull out a much larger box and handed it to Sakura. With curious expressions, everyone pulled off the paper to reveal their presents.

"Wow!" Kisame exclaimed as he held up a pair of black and gold sneakers with wings on the sides. Sasori opened his package to find an identical pair and Itachi did too. But when Sakura opened the cardboard box, she found sneakers along with a large white stuffed bunny that was about half as tall as she was. She laughed out loud, forgetting her bad mood as she hugged the soft animal to her chest.

"Thank you!" she giggled and Deidara's face lit up.

"I'm glad you like it, yeah!" he replied, beaming. But Kisame interrupted by throwing his roughly-wrapped present at Deidara's face before politely handing everyone else theirs.

"Ah, this is perfect. Thanks," Itachi remarked as he found a simple silver necktie. Sasori murmured his thanks upon discovering a gift card to his favorite textile shop while Deidara roared with laughter when he opened up a white box containing a few vinyl records.

"I can't believe you managed to find these, yeah. Thanks, man," Deidara said, grinning as he leaned over to clap Kisame on the shoulder. When Kisame had dumped a giant box of Swiss chocolates on Sakura's lap, the room had gone completely quiet before Sasori had eyed the sweets with a critical eye.

"That… is finely crafted chocolate," the red-head remarked in all seriousness and was met with Kisame and Sakura exchanging wide-eyed looks before they exploded into laughter again while Deidara groaned and smacked himself in the forehead. Still, she thanked Kisame enthusiastically for the present and he smiled in response.

Sasori was calm as always as he distributed the gift bags all tied with neat ribbons. Kisame made a skeptical face as he reached into his and pulled out a sturdy rectangle wrapped in shiny paper.

"You got him a book? You know fish can't read," Deidara snorted and Kisame responded by throwing the discarded wrapping paper in his face.

"It's that limited edition comic book you were looking for, Kisame," Itachi observed as he leaned over to read the title. Sakura clamped her hand over her mouth as tears formed in Kisame's eyes ("MANLY TEARS, DAMNIT!" he always yelled in response).

"Thanks, man," Kisame choked out as he set the comic book flat on his lap. Deidara happily discovered a pair of glittering cuff links and Itachi approvingly examined a worn leather-bound edition of his favorite novel. Sakura glared suspiciously as she caught the faint rustle of fabric inside the bag when she moved it. Still, she was too polite to let the present sit and reached inside.

"Sasori-san!" she immediately scolded as she lifted a matching hat and glove set.

"I told you not to buy me more clothes!" Sakura protested but Sasori's mouth lifted into a faint smile.

"I just bought new yarn, Sakura-chan," Sasori corrected and she looked back down with a puzzled expression.

"You... made these?" she wondered out loud and he nodded. She touched the soft white knitting wonderingly. There were tiny pink kittens embroidered along the border of the hat and the gloves.

"Thank you," she whispered, looking back up at him with a smile. And Sasori gave her a completely straight face as he held out an arm to her. She hesitated for a second but then she looked back at the beautiful, handmade present and she accepted, reaching over to give him a quick hug.

Then, it was her turn to hand out presents. Sasori received a gigantic 1000-pack of assorted lollipops and she could have sworn for a moment that he looked ready to cry. Kisame and Deidara got matching green pajamas covered in dancing reindeer. And though they gave her glares, she could see Deidara stroking the fabric happily whenever he thought she wasn't looking.

But before she could get his gift, Itachi handed her a small box and she felt strangely nervous.

"Hey! What about us, jackass?" Deidara protested and Itachi gave him a smirk before he tossed a handful of coupons into Deidara's lap.

"All-you-can-eat passes for Ichiraku's? You're the best, man!" Kisame exclaimed as he picked up a slip of paper and examined it. With the rest of the guys distracted, Itachi pushed the small box across the coffee table towards her. After a little hesitation, she reached out and took off the lid of the box.

"Tickets?" she asked, confused as she lifted the two thick pieces of paper. She flipped them over to read the back.

"An all-day spa including massages, unlimited access to the saunas and mud baths and a complimentary meal," she read. Tilting her head, she looked up at Itachi.

"But why are there two?" she inquired. At this, a smile spread across Itachi's face that made her heart skip a beat. Or two. Or maybe three.

"One's for you and one's for your mother. These don't expire for a year so you can use them to spend some time with her when she gets back, Sakura-san," Itachi explained. Sakura couldn't stop the grin that spread across her face as she looked down at the tickets again. Without thinking, she jumped out of her seat to smother Itachi in a tight hug. His eyes widened and he absently patted her arm, like he didn't know how else to react. By the time she realized what she was doing, a blush had bloomed on her face. She jumped up, apologizing furiously and trying to hide her face.

"Whew! I'm getting all hot and bothered just watching this!" Kisame teased as he fanned himself. Itachi responded by picking a pillow off the couch and lobbing it straight into his face.

"Actually, aren't you supposed to be heading to your parents' house soon, Itachi? It's almost noon," Sasori pointed out and Sakura looked down at her baggy t-shirt and pajama pants.

"We still have about an hour. Take your time getting ready, Sakura-san," Itachi assured her and she mutely nodded.

"Ooh! My-chan! Let me pick out your clothes, yeah!" Deidara exclaimed as he got to his feet and dragged her off. Somehow Sasori also decided that he wanted to partake in dress-up so after her shower, Sakura ended up sitting at her vanity while Deidara brushed her hair and ran his fingers through the damp locks while he used the blow-dryer. In the end, he ended up styling her hair in soft, loose waves around her face. Her hair had grown out since they had cut it during the summer so her bangs had also gotten longer, framing her cheekbones. After arguing with Sasori for a bit, she settled for wearing a cream-colored sweater over a black and red skirt covered in snowflakes along with black tights and black boots trimmed with fake fur.

"Well, we better get going. Have a nice time. Bring me back some leftovers," Kisame said when Sakura came out to the living room, not-too-subtly jabbing Itachi in the ribs. In response, Itachi gave him such a withering glare that Kisame fell silent.

"Thank you. For everything, I mean," Sakura said as everyone followed her to the door. She turned to them and found Deidara positively turning red from the effort it took to restrain himself. Stifling a laugh, Sakura held out her arms to him and Deidara swooped in, enveloping her in a tight hug.

"My-chan! You're so CUTE!" Deidara cooed as he squeezed her. Kisame and Sasori tolerated this for about a minute before they pried him off and dragged him out of the apartment. They paused for a moment to wave at her before they disappeared, pulling Deidara through the snow. Sakura and Itachi stood at the door for a minute, watching Deidara thrash unhappily as snow was forced into the most unpleasant places.

"I suppose we should feel bad for him," Sakura remarked and Itachi shrugged.

"I suppose," he agreed. Sakura giggled. But as soon as their eyes met, she flushed bright red and quickly turned away. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see his mouth open, like he wanted to say something to her. But he was silent as he waited for her to gather her things and to lock the door before they walked out to his car.

Mikoto, of course, was ecstatic to see her and Fugaku was also warm as he greeted her. Surprisingly, Sasuke was friendly enough during their dinner of nabe that was topped off with her chocolate cream pie that made everyone go starry-eyed. Afterwards, when she presented Mikoto with a glittering brooch, Mikoto's eyes brimmed over with tears as she hugged her.

"My! What a thoughtful present!" Mikoto exclaimed as she pinned it to the front of her shirt and left it on for the rest of the evening. Fugaku hummed approvingly when he unwrapped cologne. Sasuke looked absolutely floored when she handed him a box too. Inside was pair of dark gloves to wear during exercise in cold weather. Finally, she extracted a bag for Itachi. His eyes went wide as he pulled out a long black and white checked scarf made from cashmere.

"Oh isn't that nice! You were looking for a good scarf too, Itachi-kun!" Mikoto commented as Itachi wound it around his neck and nodded approvingly.

"Thank you, Sakura-san," Itachi said and Sakura managed to meet his eyes long enough to smile before she felt her face grow hot again and had to turn away. After presents was another hour of coffee and lingering conversation before Sakura remembered that she had plans with Hinata the next day so she quickly excused herself.

"Merry Christmas, honey. Are you going to the shrine with Itachi-kun next week?" Mikoto asked as everyone rose and moved to the front door. As she spoke, Mikoto handed Sakura her things and even held up her jacket so she could slip her arms through. Sakura tried not to look too alarmed as she quickly peeked a look at Itachi standing to her right. But he was watching her too with equal interest, waiting for her answer.

"Haha. Well, most likely with our friends. Thank you very much for dinner tonight," Sakura replied, trying her best to smile as naturally as possible as she bowed.

"Be careful. A young lady living by herself should always be vigilant," police chief Fugaku reminded her and Mikoto nodded.

"I will be. Good night Fugaku-san, Mikoto-san," Sakura said. She saw Sasuke standing on the stairs behind his parents and she tentatively raised a hand to wave at him. To her surprise, Sasuke took his hand out of his pocket and waved back. He was already wearing the gloves she had given him.

"Please, head back inside. It's cold tonight," Sakura urged. Mikoto smiled as she went back into her home along with her husband.

"Are you all ready to go, Sakura-san?" Itachi inquired as he retrieve his car keys from his pocket. She automatically went to agree, but then stopped. It had been snowing steadily since noon and even now, the fat white flakes were spilling from the dark sky. She gazed longingly up at the heavens and Itachi was puzzled by her silence.

"Would you rather walk?" he offered when she bent over to scoop up a mittenful of snow and weigh it in her palm. At his words, she turned to him with the first true smile of the evening.

"Yes please!" she chirruped as she cheerfully took off down the powdery street. A minute later, she could hear his feet crunching closer through the snow as he caught up to her. She tried to stifle her gasp as he reached around to take the bag containing leftovers that Mikoto had prepared for her.

"How unusual. Aren't you going to try to argue with me?" he asked teasingly. And she could tell that he was trying his best to ease the tension, but it was all she could do not to melt into a useless pile of hyperventilating goo right there So she nodded before burrowing her face deeper into her scarf to try and conceal the bright red flush of her cheeks. It was stupid just how easily she blushed around him lately. Just a few weeks ago she had sat untangling his hair and now even one of his simple glances made her feel like she was about to have a meltdown. Freaking out, she had finally caved and called Hinata to ask for her advice (which was what tomorrow's plans were for). But in the meantime, her ability to interact with Itachi without exploding into confetti was reduced to simple nods and short sentences.

Their silent walk was punctuated by their feet tramping through the snow. She could feel his eyes on the side of her head. It was a while before he spoke.

"I'm… getting the feeling… that I've done something to upset you," he began in a soft voice and her head immediately whipped around to look at him.

Which was an enormous mistake. Because she immediately grew embarrassed again and had to look away.

"No. You haven't," she shortly replied, cringing at how cold she sounded. Itachi heaved a deep sigh.

"Like that. You seem really uncomfortable around me lately. Did I say something?" he continued and as he spoke, his tone grew softer and sadder until Sakura thought she might actually cry. Some smaller part of her felt guilty, awful even, for making him feel bad. But the larger part of her, the short-tempered side that laughed at Kisame attacking Deidara and passing the student council's office and seeing Neji drowning in paperwork roared to life.

And she was mad.

Were all men so dense?

"Anyway, if you don't want to have to speak to me anymore, that's fine-"

"THAT'S NOT IT!" she half-shrieked and her voice pierced the calm night. Sakura was fairly certain that a few heads popped out of the windows of the houses nearby. But she planted her feet firmly in the snow and turned to face him.

"It **is** your fault but I'm not mad at you, Itachi-san!" Sakura firmly stated and his eyes grew wide.

"This is **all** your fault! Being so nice and walking me home in the dark and offering advice and being all nice and smart and perfect all the time and making me think that…. Think..." she ranted. But by the end of her explosion, she had already run out of steam and the blush was spreading across her face again. But this time they were standing under a street light and she knew that he could clearly see her bright red cheeks.

"Um… anyway…. I'm not angry with you…. So…." Sakura mumbled before she turned and began walking briskly. But Itachi's legs were much longer than hers and he caught her arm before she even took five steps.

"Wait. Wait. You. Are you saying…?" Sakura blinked owlishly as she looked up into his face. And for the first time, she realized that his face was slightly rosier than it should have been, even from the cold. And after another moment, she realized that this was the first time she had even seen Uchiha Itachi being less than perfectly coherent. He always knew what to say, always knew what to do. To see him flustered was somewhat… endearing?

"Correct me if I'm wrong… but are you saying that you like me, Sakura-san?" Itachi finally managed to ask. And Sakura, frozen in his grip, managed to turn an even brighter shade of crimson as she looked away and slowly nodded.

She waited and waited for his response, a rejection, an apology- anything. But he was silent. She bit her lower lip, already anticipating his face wracked with guilt as he tried to find a way to let her down easy. But when she gathered the courage to look at him again, she found that he looked utterly relieved.

"I thought I was going insane. But… you had a crush on Sasuke so I thought that maybe you were confused…" Itachi's words trailed off when Sakura's expression turned murderous. All embarrassment forgotten, she jerked out of his grip and fixed him with a stern look.

"Itachi-san, I'm not some stupid kid anymore. I told you that I don't like Sasuke anymore; that I got over that insignificant crush. And I know what I feel now and I know it has nothing to do with that grumpy little chicken-butt at all!" she ground out as she poked her pointer finger into his chest to accentuate her words. It only made her more irritated when she saw that he was trying to suppress a smile. She scowled at him when he reached out and took hold of the hand jabbing him in the chest. But all her irritation disappeared when she realized that he wasn't just holding her hand.

Uchiha Itachi was **holding** her hand.

"I'm sorry. I know you're not stupid. That's just me being paranoid," he quietly replied and the way the corner of his mouth lifted crookedly as he smiled made her heart thump wildly inside her ribcage.

"Um… okay," she replied faintly.

"… If I try to do anything more than this, will you pass out?" he inquired after studying her face for a moment.

"I might pass out now… so maybe next time," she agreed and they both laughed a little.

"Alright then. Let's get you home," Itachi said as he let their arms fall naturally between them.

So they walked, joined hands swinging like they had always belonged there. And Sakura was proud of the way she managed to giggle only a little at just how happy she was in that moment. Every few seconds, she would peek up at him and he would be watching her too with amusement glittering in his dark eyes. When they reached her apartment, he walked her all the way up the stairs, waiting for her to find her keys and unlock the door.

"Well…. Good night…" Sakura said in barely above a whisper. And Itachi, who suddenly seemed so much taller than her, nodded. Her back was up against the door and she was so conscious of how close he was.

"Good night. Merry Christmas," he replied in a voice just as quiet. When he leaned forward, her breath caught in her throat. She had just had dinner and coffee so her breath wouldn't be so nice. And she hadn't done any make-up that day so she knew that he would be able to see her dark circles. Still, squeezing her eyes shut, she waited. But instead of the expected contact, his lips lightly touched her forehead.

"Don't forget to lock your door, Sakura-san," Itachi murmured before his hand lightly touched the top of her head and he walked off.

It took her a minute to compose herself, hands shaking and a stupid smile spreading across her face. When she did manage to get inside her house and secure the locks, she plopped down on the kitchen floor and groped around in her pocket for her cell phone.

"Hinata-chan! Hinata-chan! Guess what just happened!"

And Sakura would have never guessed that her quiet friend would have been capable of making such a high-pitched shriek of delight.

* * *

"Nii-san, why are you… beaming?" Sasuke demanded when his older brother entered the house.

"I'm not, Sasuke," he flatly replied in his usual calm voice. But when Itachi turned to hang up his coat, Sasuke shuddered again.

"You're right. You're… dazzling. Ugh, it's like Gai-sensei on cocaine! I think I'm going to have nightmares!" Sasuke groaned as he turned and ran up to his room.

* * *

Thanks, as always, to every single reader. And big hugs and much love to all my reviewers!

Please leave reviews because I get a lot of motivation and inspiration from them.


	11. The Blush

I apologize for the delay but I was having a lot of issues with the website's server. So here's chapter 11 in all it's glory.

* * *

Fancy Footwork 

Chapter 11: The Blush

Haruno Sakura was currently lost. Actually, if there was a level beyond lost, that was what she was.

This was a rather unusual occurrence since she always made sure to find directions before she went anywhere new. It wasn't that she hadn't marked out her journey on a map beforehand. The trip to the Hyuuga estate itself had been uneventful and rather nice actually.

She had woken up around 8 am. Since it had snowed heavily the past couple days, the usual morning run was out of the question. Instead, she had sat on the floor of her bedroom doing stretches and a few yoga poses before taking a shower and having a quick breakfast. But when she had taken the train and followed the directions perfectly, she had ended up in a neighborhood with identical houses lining every block.

"Haruno?" The sound of the voice coming from behind her made her shoulders automatically stiffen. Eyes wide, she slowly turned to face the president of the student council. Hyuuga Neji, his dark hair pulled back into a loose ponytail, was evidently in the middle of a morning run. The collar of his white tracksuit was pulled up high, zipped up all the way to the top. Sweat dotted his forehead and he wiped his face with the back of his hand. A furrow appeared between his eyebrows as he looked her up and down. Sakura tried her best not to feel too self-conscious when what should have been a quick scan turned into an awkwardly long stare.

Sakura hadn't paid too much attention to her clothing that morning. So after breakfast, she had thrown on a dark blue sweater over black leggings. Over her fuzzy grey boots were knitted white leg warmers accented by large buttons in the shape of cats running up the side. This, matched with her white pea coat and red scarf, wasn't such an outlandish outfit that Hyuuga Neji would need to stare at.

But he was staring.

And staring.

She cleared her throat while trying her best not to blush.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, pretending that he hadn't just been gawking at her like she had grown another head. She sniffed, seriously considering pulling out a few of the meanest words in her growing vocabulary of swears (thanks to Deidara and Kisame). But then she thrust the piece of paper Hinata had given her into his face and let him read.

"The main house? No wonder you're lost. This is the eastern entrance. You should have gone through the western entrance," Neji explained in a surprisingly non-condescending tone. Sakura looked at the map again and she tried her best not to be too embarrassed when she saw that he was right.

"I was on my way back anyway. Follow me," he said and began walking in the direction he had come from. Confused, Sakura stuffed the paper into her pocket as she ran to catch up with him.

"So I guess you live close to Hinata-chan, huh?" Sakura nervously began after a few minutes of complete silence. For the first time, she caught a glimpse of his smile as he glanced her way.

"Where do you think you are, Haruno?" he scoffed, pointing to the nameplate on a house they walked past. Although she bristled at his patronizing tone, her curiosity overcame everything else. She followed his direction and read the bold black kanji painted onto the front door of the luxurious house.

"Hyuuga," she read out loud.

"Is this it?" Sakura inquired but Neji had already continued walking. Even more puzzled than before, she began reading the signs put up in front of every house. Each home had the same two characters out front. At first, she wondered if some relatives had decided to buy houses close to one another. But when she peered around the corner of a connecting street, she found that all the buildings had the same markings. It took a moment for her mind to process and Neji patiently stood next to her, arms crossed over his chest as he waited for her to finish thinking.

"Just… how much of this place belongs to the Hyuuga family, Kaichou?" she slowly asked.

"Pretty much anything enclosed between those walls. We're here," he said with a shrug. Sakura pulled herself out of her stupor just in time to see him pointing to a large house at the end of the street. With her mouth hanging open with surprise, Sakura watched a figure run out of the house in their direction. As she drew closer, she could see that it was Hinata in just a purple sweater and jeans hurrying over to them.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. I was just about to call you. I forgot to warn you not to go through the eastern entrance. It's the exact opposite of the direction you…" Hinata trailed off as she noticed her older cousin standing next to her friend. She tilted her head to the side and Sakura knew that she was trying to make sense of the situation.

"I got lost and he led me here," Sakura explained and Hinata immediately looked relieved.

"Well thank goodness. Come inside, Sakura-chan. It's cold out here," Hinata said.

"That's only because you're not wearing a coat," Sakura replied and they laughed together. They walked up the stone pathway to the building. As they drew closer, Sakura realized that she had misjudged the scale of the home. It was less of a house and more of a mansion. The inside was toasty and smelled faintly of candles when they stepped into the foyer. Sakura twisted around when she noticed Neji was not with them. She caught a glimpse of him walking straight past the house.

"So… your cousin lives nearby?" she asked as she slipped out of her shoes. Beside her, Hinata was doing the same. At the question, Hinata looked a little sad as she looked out into the street too.

"Nii-san lives right next door to us. Uncle Hizashi passed away a few years ago so he's been living all alone ever since," Hinata explained in a hushed voice. Puzzled, Sakura turned back to her friend with a frown.

"But can't he just move in with one of his other relatives? I mean you all live right here," Sakura pointed out as Hinata led her up the stairs. They walked down the wide hallway, their feet tapping against the polished wood floor.

"I'm not very sure of the reason, but apparently my father and uncle didn't have a very good relationship. No one says why, but I think that's the reason Nii-san chooses to keep his distance from the rest of the clan," Hinata said. She suddenly stopped and pointed at a door. Her serious expression immediately morphed into a smile.

"This is my room," she explained as she pushed the door open.

A large bed swathed in airy white canopy sat in the middle of the room. The two wide windows on either side of it were draped in floor-length purple fabric tied back with glossy ribbons. There was a white vanity matched with tall mirrors pushed against one of the walls. Directly opposite from that were white double doors that were ajar, revealing a walk-in closet. Sakura dug her toes into the soft purple rug underfoot as she slowly made her way across the floor. She turned around to see Hinata following her with a shy expression.

"Um… I've never had a friend over before… so… I'm not really sure what I should do…" Hinata admitted when Sakura walked over to poke her in the arm. Putting her hands on her hips, Sakura surveyed the room once more.

"Well… we're here to have girl-talk. So we'll need food," Sakura began as she thought back to all the times Ino had dragged her over to her house in middle school. Back then, anything Ino wanted was what they ended up doing. So she had spent countless hours watching Ino paint her nails while she talked about boys and complained about her figure. Sometimes Ino would stand in front of the mirror, pinching angrily at fat that didn't exist. Although those hours had been filled with a certain sense of frustration that Ino never listened, it was thanks to her that Sakura immediately knew what to do.

"Do you have our yearbook from middle school?" Sakura suddenly asked as she forced herself to recall all of Ino's usual rituals. Although she looked surprised, Hinata nodded.

"Okay. I'll go get snacks then. My yearbook's over there," Hinata said, pointing to the bookcase in the corner of the room. There were two identical purple armchairs arranged near it along with a little glass coffee table.

"Do you mind looking for it?"

It didn't take much digging. Hinata was a neat person, which meant that everything was arranged in alphabetical order, making it a simple task to pull out the thin black book. Sakura sat cross-legged on the floor as she cracked open the glossy pages to a group photo of all the kids they had graduated middle school with. She easily located herself, wedged in between Ino and Naruto, with Sasuke standing sullenly on the other side of his blond friend. Even here, she could see the hunch of her own shoulders, the feeble smile, like she wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. The picture had been taken just a few months after she had quit dance and she recalled being absolutely miserable. She flipped through a few more pages, laughing at the picture of Naruto and Kiba being dragged by the ears by one of their teachers. There was another of Naruto, Chouji and Shikamaru eating lunch (well, Shikamaru was taking a nap while Chouji stole food from him). So many smiles were frozen in the pages, chubby cheeks and baby fat still lingering in some of the faces.

"Did you manage to find it, Sakura-chan?" Hinata inquired as she entered the room bearing a large tray. She set it down on the coffee table before she settled on the floor next to Sakura, tucking her legs neatly underneath her.

"Do you remember this?" Sakura asked, laughing as she pointed. It was of a boy named Sai who had moved to their town around their second year of middle school. Although he had instantly become popular with the girls, he and Naruto had not gotten along too well. Sai stood in the middle of the frame with his usual polite smile while Naruto was an angry yellow blur in the background as he jumped up and down.

"Um… I think it was that time Sai-kun asked Naruto-kun if he actually had a… you know…" Hinata blushed, unable to say the word.

"Wow. I'd never seen him that mad before," Sakura remarked and they both giggled. They went through the pages together, recalling stories and reliving the happy times together. But Sakura stopped when she got to a picture of Sasuke standing at his locker. He had clearly just opened the door and he was staring at his feet as a mountain of chocolate and cards spilled onto the floor. Sakura sniffed angrily as she drilled her finger into his face.

"I heard part of it from Ino-san… but…. What happened that day, Sakura-chan?" Hinata timidly asked. Sakura scowled for an extra second before she looked up at her friend. She could see how pink Hinata's cheeks were and she knew it took a lot of courage for the shy girl to ask such a thing. So, taking a deep breath, Sakura snatched a cookie from the tray and stuffed it into her mouth while she thought.

"_Good morning, Ino-chan!" Sakura called out as she saw her friend's long blonde hair. Ino turned around, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder. She smiled as she waved and waited for Sakura to catch up. Sakura ran, a pink paper bag dangling from her right hand._

"_I thought you weren't getting Sasuke-kun anything," Ino said as Sakura paused to catch her breath. _

"_Well, I wasn't going to, but I figured he might like bitter chocolate. So I stayed up all night making these," Sakura proudly announced as she held up the bag. Ino hummed noncommittally as they continued on their way to school. After a moment, Sakura nudged Ino in the shoulder._

"_Don't you have anything for Shikamaru-kun?" Sakura asked and she watched Ino's cheeks flushed faintly. Clearing her throat loudly, the blonde pretended to be surprised._

"_What are you talking about? Why would I get that lazy bum anything?" Ino loudly said. Knowing it was pointless to pry any further, Sakura simply shrugged and they walked the rest of the way to school, Ino chattering about whatever juicy gossip she had found out. Throughout the rest of the day, girls from other classes and grades had crowded around Sasuke's locker to secretly shove in their chocolates. Some of the braver ones had handed theirs over to Sasuke himself, earning nothing more than a disinterested "hnh" from Sasuke. Too quickly, the school day ended and Sakura eyed her bag as she watched Sasuke pack his bag to go home. _

"_Wait! Sasuke-kun!" she called out just as Sasuke casually slung his bag over his shoulder. He glanced in her direction, the familiar line of irritation appearing on his forehead. _

"_Yeah?"_

_Sucking in a deep breath, Sakura thrust the bag into Sasuke's face. As she tried her best not to hyperventilate, she waited for him to accept it. _

"_This is for you!" she squeaked out when he didn't move. Sighing in the usual aggravated manner, he snatched it from her._

"_There's a card too," Sakura added._

"_Shut up, Sakura," he muttered as he grabbed the rest of the gifts on his desk and strode out of the room. It was only until after she had finished packing her own things that she managed to leave the empty classroom. As she crossed the courtyard, she caught a glimpse of Sasuke's spiky hair. Curious, she quietly tiptoed up to a nearby bush for cover and peered out between the bright green leaves. Muttering angrily to himself, Sasuke shoved all of his gifts into the incinerator. _

"_Annoying," she heard him grumble as he shoved his hands into his pockets and stomp off. To her horror, the bright pink sparkle of her gift bag sat on top of the pile before the hourly cycle started and all the sweet-smelling presents went up in flames. _

When she finished her story, Sakura looked over to find Hinata sniffling into her handkerchief.

"Poor Sakura-chan. That's horrible!" Hinata sniffed as she wiped her nose. Despite that, Sakura only felt the need to laugh.

"You know, I'm sort of glad it happened. Because it let me know just what kind of jerk he really was. That's not the kind of person I'd want to like me anyway," Sakura assured her. Still dabbing at her eyes, Hinata nodded.

"Thank you, Hinata," Sakura suddenly said and the dark-haired girl looked confused.

"For listening, I mean," Sakura clarified. A smile immediately lit up Hinata's teary expression.

"You're my best friend, Sakura-chan. Of course I'll listen to you," Hinata replied before she cheerfully blew her nose.

"Speaking of which!" Hinata suddenly said, grabbing onto Sakura's arm, "What happened yesterday?"

It was Sakura's turn to blush as she remembered the feel of Itachi's warm lips against her forehead. She pressed her hands to her mouth, staring at Hinata's expression glowing with anticipation. Finally, she cleared her throat.

"Um… well… ever since a few months ago, I've been feeling really nervous around him and I guess it was pretty obvious. So he was walking me home last night after dinner and…." Sakura trailed off, her expression thoughtful.

"He thought that I was angry with him so I was avoiding him. But then I got mad and blurted out that it was because I liked him. So…" As her words drifted in an unfinished thought, Sakura took a moment to think very carefully. She clearly remembered all the events of the previous night, almost as if it was a scene from a movie she had watched a million times. The solid warmth of his hand, the brittle crunch of their feet in the fresh snow, and the lingering touch of his lips against her brow all played black in her mind.

"Hinata-chan," Sakura suddenly gasped, turning to her friend. Eyes wide with alarm that must have been reflected in her own eyes, Hinata reached out to grab her friend's hands, fearing the worst.

"Hinata-chan, I feel like an idiot. I confessed. But he never said anything back," she moaned. Hinata's mouth opened in a silent 'o' of surprise. Together they sat, motionless, round eyes fixed on one another.

"What if he was humoring me because I'm like a little sister to him?" Sakura wondered as she flopped onto her back, throwing her arm over her eyes. After a moment, she used her other hand to grope around in the direction of the coffee table until her fingers closed over one of the cookies. She crunched loudly on the treat as she stewed.

"I mean, older brothers hold hands with their sisters. Older brothers kiss their sisters' foreheads, right?" she continued as she hunted for her third cookie.

"He ki-ki-ki-kissed you?" Hinata stuttered out.

"On the forehead," Sakura corrected glumly while chewing, "My own father used to do that. It doesn't mean anything." They let out simultaneous sighs. But after a moment, Hinata tapped Sakura's leg.

"But from what you described, he's not an extremely affectionate person by nature, right?" Hinata pointed out. At this, Sakura peered out from under her arm. Slowly, she nodded. Swallowing her last mouthful of cookie, she sat up and wiped the crumbs from her cheeks.

"I mean… he's polite and friendly to everyone… but sometimes he'll touch my hair. And yesterday, he held my hand while we walked," Sakura recalled, her expression brightening a little. However, Hinata looked positively jubilant at this revelation.

"That's wonderful! I think this person really does like you, Sakura-chan!" Hinata brightly concluded. At this, Sakura looked over at her friend.

"You really think so, Hinata-chan?" Sakura asked and Hinata nodded vigorously, sending her straight bangs bouncing against her forehead. Feeling a lot more hopeful, the girls proceeded to flip through the rest of their middle school yearbook while polishing off the rest of the cookies and hot chocolate. Sakura also took the time to ask when her friend had started liking Naruto, making the girl erupt into a fit of blushing stutters.

"Um… I've liked Naruto-kun since middle school… But I feel like he'll never notice me. Besides, he has a crush on you, Sakura-chan," Hinata quietly said, nervously poking the tips of her pointer fingers together. Rolling her eyes, Sakura leaned back on her hands.

"Hinata-chan, Naruto might have really liked me in middle school, but by now it's nothing more than a habit. I'm sure all he needs is a little attention from a pretty girl like you and he'll forget all about me," Sakura explained, rolling her eyes. Hinata looked at her strangely as she spoke.

"You know, Sakura-chan…. You're really smart when it comes to other people, but you always seem so unsure when it comes to yourself," Hinata pointed out. Sakura sat for a moment, frozen, as she tried to figure out what that meant. But when she looked back at Hinata's usual friendly smile, she shrugged it off.

They chatted for a little while longer until a maid knocked on the door to ask if Sakura would be staying for lunch. She was about to accept when she suddenly remembered the enormous tower of laundry sitting in her bedroom along with a mountain of chores and errands still left to do. So, reluctantly, Sakura declined.

"Thanks for having me over, Hinata-chan," Sakura said as she slipped on her shoes in the foyer. Hinata smiled brightly, nodding.

"It was nice having you here. Be careful on your way home," Hinata said as Sakura buttoned up her coat and stepped outside. They briefly waved at each other before Sakura walked down the snow-covered path leading out of the front yard. At the intricate wrought iron gate, Sakura caught a glimpse of Neji standing on the other side, eyebrows knitted tightly together. His arms were folded over his chest and she could see that his hair was still wet from the shower. When she took her first crackling step into the snow, his pearly eyes darted to her. Mouth drawn into a tight line, he watched her trudge down the walkway and through the gate.

"Um… do you want me to get Hinata-chan?" she cautiously asked when he simply stared at her again.

"Hinata-sama asked that I escort you out of the estate property," he stiffly explained, his eyes briefly focusing on Hinata watching from the window.

"Oh… thank you… I guess," Sakura slowly said. With a curt nod, Neji took off down the street, his strides purposely slow to help her keep up.

"Sooo… where are you headed, Kaichou?" Sakura asked, glancing over at her silent companion. After a moment, her eyes drifted to the messenger bag slung across his body. From the way it knocked against his hip, she could tell that it was rather heavy.

"I have some work to do at school," he flatly replied, not looking at her. Trying to keep a smile from creeping up in her expression, she leaned over and lightly poked his bag. He flinched as if she had stuck a needle through his arm.

"Is this work for the student council?" she innocently inquired and he turned an odd shade of white. His eyes darted to his cell phone clutched tightly in his hand. Letting out a deep breath, he stopped walking. She stopped too, tilting her head to the side in confusion. Neji looked as if he was in great pain as he took another huge breath through clenched teeth.

"If you'd like… I wouldn't be **completely** opposed to you returning to your position," he slowly said, looking as if he had just swallowed an entire lemon. Sakura gaped at him, mouth hanging slack. She wondered if perhaps she had temporarily gone insane. Or maybe Neji had gone insane. Either way, one of them was clearly crazy if this conversation was happening. But he stood, hands clenched, face puckered, yet completely serious.

"Are you maybe… making fun of me?" she tentatively asked, trying to understand what the hell was happening. But he held out his phone to her and showed her a text message from Tenten.

_Don't complain to me if you're swamped. Apologize to poor Sakura-chan and beg her to come back, you stubborn asshole!_

"You're asking me to come back right now?" Sakura confirmed in a small voice as she watched a vein in Neji's temple twitch dangerously. Very slowly, he nodded, head bobbing in jerky increments. The cruel part of her watched with delight as he began to turn red at her hesitation. He probably thought that she was going to refuse and that all his precious humility would have gone to waste.

"Well…. I won't," she firmly responded. And an even crueler part of her was ecstatic when he slowly turned blue.

"Unless you promise to stop insulting me. My financial background has nothing to do with my performance, Kaichou. And-" The words caught in her throat when he suddenly gained his composure and glared viciously at her. A squeak left her instead of the sentence her brain had wanted to say. Staring up at his venomous expression with wide eyes, she felt her vocal cords seize up. She was frozen like a deer in headlights. After a long moment, a sigh spilled past Neji's pursed lips. He motioned for her to continue.

"Apologize for being so rude to me in the past…. Please," she tacked on the 'please' when the vein throbbed again. He took a long moment to glower at her and she squeezed her eyes shut, preparing for him to insult her again. But he exhaled surprisingly quietly.

"Very well. I… I sincerely apologize to you, Haruno...san," he managed to say, shoulders stiff. Sakura looked at him a moment. Guilt pulled at her stomach when she looked at how heavy his bag seemed. And despite his obvious reluctance, she knew that any form of humility from Hyuuga Neji was probably an extremely rare anomaly, almost like being struck by lightning. So, she shrugged her shoulders and nodded. She held out her hand expectantly.

"My keys, please. And I'll take those files too," Sakura explained when he looked at her strangely. Clearing his throat loudly, he placed the keys in her palm, quickly pulling his hand away when their fingers accidentally touched. But when she pointed at his bag, Neji frowned at her.

"I started this. I might as well finish this batch. But when school starts again, I expect you to perform your job, Haruno-san," Neji said, regaining his usual tone of arrogance. However, Sakura caught the underlying attempt at amelioration in his words so she smiled brightly at him.

"Thank you, Hyuuga-senpai. I look forward to working with you again," she replied sweetly and to her confusion, he nodded back.

"You recognize this street, correct?" he suddenly said, pointing to the nearby sign. They had apparently stopped just a block away from the nearest subway station.

"Thank you very much. Enjoy the rest of your holiday," Sakura politely responded, bowing to him. He dipped his head back. So, giving him one last smile, she turned and hurried off to catch the train, the keys to the student council off jingling merrily in her hand. Once she made it back home, fueled by her little triumph, Sakura cleaned her home with gusto, cheerfully vacuuming and dusting while waiting for laundry to finish so she could throw her clothes in the dryer. As she wrung out a rag in the sink to wipe the floors, there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" she called as she crossed the apartment, rag still in hand. When she unbolted the door and pulled it open, it took all of her willpower not to immediately slam the door in his face. Itachi stood at her door, his dark hair slightly damp. He was quiet as her took in her appearance. Her hair was yanked back in a hasty ponytail to keep it out of the way when cleaning. She was dressed in an old oversized gray t-shirt and blue sweatpants: practical clothes she didn't mind ruining. However, this was man she had just confessed to liking the night before. And she looked absolutely the opposite of cute

So she did the only thing her brain could think to do.

She shrieked and pushed the door shut.

Only it didn't shut.

His foot was jammed in the door and then he wedged his forearm into the space, forcing the door open again. Looking completely exasperated, he fixed her with a look that demanded explanation. So, equally frustrated, she flapped her hands to gesture to herself, at her sloppy attire and with fingers that smelled of soap.

"I look awful, Itachi-san! What are you doing here?" she finally managed to say, throwing her hands up. He blinked calmly at her as he looked her over again.

"What are you talking about, Sakura-san? You look fine. I brought lunch," Itachi simply replied as he walked past her and slipped off his shoes. As he calmly strolled into her home, Sakura was frozen to the spot, equally embarrassed and flabbergasted. She watched him enter the kitchen and set a plastic bag on the counter. When she stood unmoving and letting the cold air rush inside, he gave her a quizzical look before he walked back over to shut the door. Crossing his arms in front of him, he stared down at her.

"Are you going to clam up on me again?" he asked in a low voice that made blood rush to her cheeks. She quickly shook her head, making her ponytail bounce.

"So," he began in the same deep tone. He placed his hand on the wall beside her head, leaning in closer to her. A quiet noise rose in the back of her throat as she tried to back up. With his shadow falling across her face, he took another step closer.

"What's bothering you, Sakura-san?"

Almost immediately, her blush intensified. Suddenly regaining some confidence, she gestured wildly at him and then at herself.

"Itachi-san! I look awful! You can't just show up here and-" She broke off with an agitated series of grumbling. At this, a smile pulled at his mouth that made her stomach do backflips.

"You're as cute as ever," he murmured with a look that sent her heart drumming furiously against the inside of her chest. He dipped his head closer and she squeezed her eyes shut, praying that her heart wouldn't actually explode. But his lips lightly touched her ponytail and he pulled away with his usual gentle smile.

Despite Sakura's cardiac distress, they managed to sit down to a nice lunch of Mikoto's crispy dumplings along with miso soup filled with plenty of tofu. They sat across from each other at the dining room table, her fidgeting in her seat as they ate. But of course since it was Uchiha Itachi, he noticed.

"I, uh, usually eat at the island in the kitchen… since I usually only cook for one," Sakura explained, feeling his questioning stare. Almost immediately, she wished that she had lied.

"But my mother's coming home in two weeks for a month. That means that I won't be alone then," she quickly added when she saw his mouth pull down in a frown.

"Are you lonely, Sakura-san?" he inquired, making her freeze as she reached out for another dumpling, her chopsticks hovering in the air.

"No. I have Kisame-san, Deidara-san, and Sasori-san. And I have you. And I have your family," Sakura replied honestly. To her immense relief, the smile returned to his face as he chewed on his food. He nodded thoughtfully and, thinking that the conversation was over, Sakura snatched up a dumpling and popped it into her mouth. But as she chomped down on the juicy morsel, a sudden thought came to her that made her chopsticks clatter noisily to the table.

"Can I ask you something?" she suddenly said while looking up. Startled by the sudden ruckus, Itachi was already staring at her, mouth open as his rice-laden chopsticks lingered in the air. As soon as their eyes met, all the words she had gathered up in her head evaporated.

"Yes?" he prompted, looking concerned. Nervously drumming her fingers against the table, she tried to find a way to word her statement so she didn't sound like an idiot.

"Um... I forget," Sakura quietly admitted, feeling her neck and cheeks flush. She averted her eyes even though she knew his eyebrows would be pinched together as he tried to understand.

"You forget?" Itachi repeated and she was simultaneously touched and mortified by his patience.

"Because… sometimes when I look into your eyes I completely forget what I was going to say…" she whispered, covering her face with her hands, almost too embarrassed to function. When she peered out at him past her fingers, she found that Itachi's cheeks were the lightest shade of pink, barely discernable against his normal skin tone. He cleared his throat loudly a few times as he tried to swallow his food without choking. They sat in awkward, blushing quiet before Itachi finally spoke.

"Well… I'll take that as the highest compliment from you, Sakura-san. You should finish your food before it gets cold," he said. When he turned away to take a sip of water, she could have sworn that his face was almost as red as hers.

* * *

New Years passed in a vague softness mostly as a result of the ceremonial sake everybody pushed on her when they visited the temple. Although Sasori and Deidara tried to convince her to wear a kimono to the temple, she plugged her fingers into her ears and squeezed her eyes shut until they both gave up. So everyone took their turn praying and ringing the bell before they all trekked through the snow to Itachi's apartment for hot tea and sticky mochi.

"We're starting practice again next week so be prepared," Itachi announced to a unanimous groan. Deidara, who was lying on the floor, reached up to grope around the coffee table to grab another piece of mochi. Taking pity on him, Sakura plucked one from the plate and placed it into his waiting palm.

"Deidara, if you don't start exercising again, you're going to get fat from all that mochi," Kisame pointed out in an innocent tone. Seated between Sasori and Itachi on the sofa, Sakura smothered her laugh in her cup as she lifted it to her mouth to take a sip. She peered over at Itachi over the edge of the cup and found that he was looking at her too. His right arm was draped over the back of the sofa while his right leg was crossed at a 90 degree angle over the left. Although she had seen him sit that way plenty of times when he was at his parents' house, his broad chest and extended arm suddenly looked incredibly comfortable. A blush flooded her face as she tried to shake away the audacious thought.

Feeling a strange stare on the side of her head, Sakura looked over at Kisame who was sitting cross-legged on the floor on the opposite side of the coffee table from Deidara. His mouth was stretched into a wide grin as he eyed her and then Itachi. Waggling his eyebrows, he got to his feet.

"Screw you, Yellow Tail!" Deidara snarled as he sat upright to shove two more mochi into his mouth. But Kisame seemed not to hear as he threw himself onto the sofa between Sakura and Sasori with a delighted cackle. He leaned back, squishing Sakura right into Itachi's side. Pretending not to hear her grumbling, Kisame looked over at Sasori.

"Yo, Sasori-senpai. How're you doing?" Kisame cheerfully inquired.

Sasori had been under a particularly large amount of stress over the past week. The final fashion show that determined his and Deidara's grades for the year was fast approaching. So instead of indulging in tea and mochi and kicking back, he had been sitting with a sketchbook in his lap. Right eyebrow twitching, Sasori slowly looked up from his drawing and mechanically turned his head towards Kisame.

"At the moment, I'm rather uncomfortable since your fat butt appears to be making it difficult for my butt to fit on this couch," Sasori flatly said. Sakura and Deidara's eyes met, sensing the slight edge of danger in Sasori's normally impassive tone. But while Sakura's gaze went wide with fear, a grin stretched Deidara's mouth. She was so concerned that she almost forgot that she was pressed against Itachi's chest until he moved his arm to scratch the side of his nose. Slowly looking up, she met his dark eyes twinkling with amusement. Her attention was diverted when Kisame chuckled in his usual good-natured tone, oblivious to the vein throbbing in the back of Sasori's right hand.

"Quit drawing all those flat-chested girls and have some fun!" Kisame said, flapping a dismissive hand. Golden eyes narrowing, Sasori calmly lifted the permanent marker in his right hand and drew a circle around each of Kisame's eyes. He then scribbled a thick mustache on Kisame's upper lip before he slowly placed the cap back on and snapped it in place.

"And all these girls match Sakura-chan's proportions so I think you owe her an apology…. Yellow Tail-kun," Sasori said before he went back to his drawings.

This time, it was Sakura's eye that twitched. Her glare sizzled into the side of Kisame's face until he carefully turned back towards her. Her arms were folded tightly over her chest. She looked as fierce as she could while nestled comfortably against Itachi, mouth puckering up into a frown.

"Yeah, take that back, Fish-man! Sakura-chan is not flat at all! I mean, look at that, she's got boobs and they're really nice, yeah!" Deidara chimed in with a smug expression. At this, everyone turned to the blonde with varying expressions of disbelief. Relieved to have the anger redirected, Kisame snickered when Sakura's mouth opened.

"Would you please stop looking at my chest, Deidara-san!" she snapped. Itachi glared at him from over the top of her head.

"I wasn't! I just happen to notice stuff like this. Also, Sakura-chan has a really nice butt, right?" Deidara stopped talking when Sasori abruptly stood. He stopped in front of Sakura to dig a handful of lollipops out of his pocket and dump them in her lap.

"Keep these safe for me," Sasori ordered and Sakura nodded dumbly, her eyes wide with wonder. Satisfied that his candy would be kept from harm, Sasori popped the cap off his permanent marker and advanced on Deidara. Eyes glinting with cruel delight, Kisame scrambled to his feet to pin Deidara down to the floor.

Despite the struggling and screaming, Deidara went home that night with a unibrow, a gigantic mole on his right cheek, and the word "PERVERT" drawn across his forehead.

"You're welcome," Kisame whispered as he walked past them to put on his shoes. Puzzled, Sakura looked over at Itachi. But when she realized how close his face was to hers, she remembered that she was still snuggled up comfortably against his chest. From the way his eyes widened, she knew that he had forgotten too. Mumbling excuses that neither could really understand, they drew apart, Sakura bolting to her feet while Itachi pretended to busy himself cleaning up the cups left on the coffee table.

He drove her home that night, the silence that was once awkward now filled with possibilities. Their eyes met and even though she still blushed and looked away, she would catch a quick peek of him smiling to himself out of the corners of her eyes. She curled up in the seat, pretending to be watching the houses on the dark streets. When he parked the car across the street from her apartment complex, she waited for him to touch her shoulder as he checked to see if she had fallen asleep.

"Um… Itachi-san?" she asked in a small voice as she turned around in her seat to look at him.

"Yes?" he replied as he unbuckled his seatbelt. His hands rested on the steering wheel, fingers tapping as he waited for her to speak. Sakura chewed on her lower lip as she stared out the windshield, trying to gather all the scattered thoughts in her head.

"Um…. So….. I…. like you, Itachi-san," she finallysaid, staring straight ahead so she wouldn't look at his face and lose all courage to speak ever again. She saw his head turn towards her in her peripherals but kept her gaze locked firmly on one of the windshield wipers.

"But…." She took a deep breath before everything welled up at once and burst forth, "I like you and I told you that I like you but you never said anything back and now I feel like an idiot because I like you even more and I still don't know how you feel and I don't even know if this means we can be together or you're just humoring me and now I feel like an idiot because I can't stop talking and-" In her passion, she made the mistake of looking directly at him and words suddenly became a foreign concept to her. He had looked at her countless times before. Sometimes he was smiling, sometimes he looked a little worried, but he had never once stared at her with this kind of intensity. It was a look that made her stomach do somersaults while her heart began tap-dancing wildly in her ribcage. If there was any way to describe his gaze, as cliché and overused as it sounded, his eyes were smoldering.

"Sakura-san, do you remember on Christmas day? I asked you if I tried to do anything more than hold your hand if you would pass out?" he asked in a low voice that made her gulp. She nodded her head, gnawing on her lower lip until it began to hurt. Completely paralyzed with shock, she didn't protest when he reached out and pulled her lip free from between her teeth. Just the contact of his thumb with her mouth made the back of her neck grow hotter and hotter until she thought she might burst into flames.

"Are you going to pass out now?" Itachi inquired with a half-smile tugging at his mouth. A little dazed, Sakura slowly shook her head.

"Good," he simply said before he leaned over and captured her mouth in a soft kiss. His hand tenderly cupped her cheek, tilting her head up towards his. When he drew back, Sakura stared up at him with a blank expression, every thought wiped clear from her head. He chuckled as he brushed a stray strand of her hair out of her eyes.

"I like you, Sakura-san. I like you probably a little more than you like me. So would you be my girlfriend?" he softly asked. Face flooding crimson, Sakura mashed her lips together and nodded in jerky motions, trying her best not to start hyperventilating. An easy smile spread across Itachi's mouth. He seemed to survey her carefully for a moment.

"Is there anything else bothering you?" Itachi queried, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"No," she replied in a high-pitched squeak that made him chuckle.

"Alright then. Good night, Sakura-san," he said. Nodding in the same dazed manner, Sakura mechanically undid her seatbelt and then opened the car door.

"Oh, Sakura-san?" he called as she hopped out of her seat. Sakura turned back towards him and he pressed his mouth to hers in a light peck before releasing her.

"I'll see you Sunday morning," Itachi said. Her blush was absolutely bright red as she shut the car door and hurried up the stairs to her apartment. She paused at the front door, one foot in the foyer, to look back at his car idling on the street below. She could have sworn that Itachi lifted his arm to wave at her before he drove off. And Sakura, heart pounding furiously, flung herself in bed fully clothed and hugged her pillow tightly to her chest. Giggling like an idiot, she rolled around in the sheets, reliving the feel of his kiss again and again until she finally fell asleep.

* * *

The first day of school after winter vacation was odd for many people.

For Hyuuga Neji, after a couple months of drowning in paperwork, it was strange not to come back to the student council office and see a mountain of papers stacked there. Someone had come in early to take care of a large portion of the work and to leave a sticky note in its place listing out all the important matters that needed his attention. From the curvy handwriting, he immediately recognized Sakura's work and he breathed a silent sigh of relief as he walked to homeroom.

For Uchiha Sasuke, it was unusual that loud-mouthed Naruto didn't greet him with his usual shout. Instead, the blonde elbowed him in the ribs before he pointed towards a girl walking in the hallway ahead of them. Her pink hair was a dead giveaway to who it was.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan!" Naruto called, nudging Sasuke again to make sure he was paying attention. When Sakura turned around at the sound of her name, Sasuke felt his jaw drop. There was an oddly gentle smile pulling at her mouth when her eyes found him. Her smile brightened when she recognized him and Naruto.

"Good morning," she said back, lifting her hand in a little wave.

"See? Something's off! Sakura-chan is **definitely** not a morning person," Naruto muttered, his eyes wild with fear. And for once, Sasuke didn't disagree with him.

For Haruno Sakura, the first day back from school was a refreshingly familiar experience. Her usual morning run with Kisame was invigorating, especially when her calves no longer felt ready to explode after the full 45 minutes. She caught a train that was 30 minutes earlier so that she arrived at an empty school. Using the keys she had recently reclaimed as her own, she let herself into the student council's office and tackled the massive stack of papers that the student council president had failed to fill out. Even after months of disuse, her eyes quickly remembered how to skim through summaries and numbers until all she needed were a few seconds to look over each form before she signed, stamped or checked whatever needed to be changed. Afterwards, when the first bell rang, signaling five minutes until homeroom, she happily made her way down the hall. Halfway to the classroom, Naruto's cheerful voice called to her again. Even though she had encountered him just a minute earlier, she turned around to greet him and found Sasuke trudging alongside him. Although he looked as surly as usual, she caught sight of the gloves she had bought him for Christmas sticking out of his bag.

In class, she was immediately met with Hinata's observant stare. When Sakura flashed her a smile, an immense look of relief spread across her friend's face.

"What happened?" Hinata asked in a whisper as Sakura set her bag down on her desk. Sakura leaned in close so only Hinata could hear her say two words.

"We kissed."

Hinata's eyes grew huge as she clapped her hands over her mouth.

"That's amazing!" Hinata whispered back. Biting her lip to hold back her grin, Sakura nodded. But she held up a finger in front of her mouth.

"I'll tell you all about it later," Sakura promised her and they exchanged excited smiles.

"Tell Hinata about what?" Ino loudly interrupted as she walked in. The girl's uniform was a little crooked and her hair messy, as if she had just rolled out of bed.

"Forget to set your alarm, Ino?" Naruto laughed as he poked his head into the classroom. Ino whirled around to give him an evil look, effectively silencing him.

"Shut up, Naruto. And you!" Ino suddenly said, whirling around to point an accusatory finger at Shikamaru slumbering peacefully at his desk. When he didn't respond, Ino stomped over to poke the back of his head. Shikamaru grumbled unintelligibly but didn't look up.

"You and Chouji were supposed to wait for me! What the heck, Shikamaru!" Ino whined until Sasuke, who had been leaning back in his chair with a book covering his face, sat up straight to glare at her.

"It's way too early to listen to your whining, Ino," Sasuke sighed. As he set his book on his desk, he met Sakura's gaze and gave her a little nod of acknowledgement. And Sakura smiled back at him.

For some reason, that particular day, classes seemed to stretch on for an eternity. It wasn't that the subjects were boring or the teachers uninteresting. It had less to do with the actual classes than the anticipation of what was to come afterwards. There was a slight reprise when lunch break started and Chouji and Naruto from the class next-door came to join Shikamaru and Sasuke for lunch. That day, they had brought along an extra friend, a boy Sakura rarely saw unless they passed each other in the hallway between classes.

"Guys, you remember Sai, right? We told him to stop being all antisocial and come eat with us," Naruto announced, clapping Sai on the shoulder. Sasuke and Shikamaru each shrugged to let him know that they didn't mind. Naruto turned to find Sakura and Hinata with their desks pushed together as they opened up their bentos.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan," Naruto called out. At this, Ino sitting at the front of the room with her girlfriends turned to look at him too.

"Why don't you join us?" Naruto suggested, waving them over. When the girls hesitated, he pulled his brightest smile of encouragement. Sakura looked over at Hinata. Although she was blushing a little, Hinata timidly glanced in Naruto's direction with a hopeful expression.

"That sounds like fun," Sakura said as she picked up her food and moved to join them with Hinata following after her.

"Sai, these are our friends, Hyuuga Hinata and Haruno Sakura. We all went to middle school together. I don't know if you remember them though," Naruto said as he got up to pull up a chair for Hinata to his right. When Sakura grabbed a chair to follow, Sasuke leaned over and yanked it irritably to his side. When she looked at him over her shoulder, he sighed as he pointed behind his palm to Hinata and Naruto chatting amicably.

"How nice of you, Sasuke-kun," she quietly said. Folding his arms over his chest, Sasuke let out a snort.

"You're looking cheerful today, Haruno-chan," Shikamaru sleepily observed from the other side of Sasuke. He let out a loud yawn as he reached out to accept a bento from Chouji. At this, Chouji poked his head out over Shikamaru's shoulder to look at her too. Sakura let a shy smile slip across her face as she remembered the touch of Itachi's lips against hers in the darkness.

"Thanks," she replied, looking up just in time to notice that Naruto and Hinata had stopped talking. In fact, everyone was looking at her with varying degrees of curiosity. However, it was Sai with his huge fake smile that broke the contemplative silence.

"Well Haruno-san's looking as ugly as ever," he piped up with a cheer that almost veiled his insult.

Almost.

Chopsticks clenched firmly in her fist like twin weapons of death, Sakura stared straight at Sai. Her mouth was frozen into a frightening smile save for the slight twitch of her lips. Naruto blanched completely as his eyes flickered frantically between his two friends.

"Sai," Naruto began in a quiet whine.

"What was that?" Sakura asked, her mouth stretching into a grin, revealing her teeth.

"I said you look as ugly as ever, Ugly," Sai repeated with the same stupid smile.

"Sai, shut up," Sasuke sighed, even as he sunk lower into his chair and scooted back a little, just in case Sakura decided to throw something. Although she hadn't been violent in high school thus far, he distinctly remembered her punching Naruto in the nose for commenting about her butt once in middle school. And from the look she had given him when he had asked about her bracelet a few months before, Sasuke was acutely aware of Sakura's capacity to bring death with just a look, much less her fists.

"Sai, why the hell would you say that?' Naruto groaned, covering his head with his hands, evidently having the same worries as Sasuke.

"I read in a book once that girls like to hear the opposite of what's true. So Haruno-san's hideous," Sai explained with the same chipper expression. Sakura's hand relaxed. Perplexed, she looked over at Sasuke who was regarding Sai as if he had grown another head.

"So… you're saying that I'm actually… pretty?" Sakura slowly asked, forehead wrinkling as she tried to process his way of thinking.

"Yes. You're actually quite pleasant to look at," Sai replied with a sage nod.

"What are you guys shouting about?" Ino inquired as she walked over to join them. Still pondering, Sakura simply waved at her in greeting.

"Nothing really, Miss Beautiful," Sai said. At this, Ino flushed with pleasure. Batting her eyelashes at Sai, she positively beamed at him. Silence fell over the group as Ino laughed happily to herself. Pursing her lips to hold back her snort, Sakura quickly looked away from Naruto. Naruto had never been good at keeping a straight face. At present, he was turning purple from the effort to not bust out in loud chortles. Sakura took a deep breath through her nose to calm herself before she looked straight at Sai.

"Sai?" she called, drawing his attention.

"We're going to be very good friends," Sakura announced. Sai looked a little puzzled but seemed pleased at the prospect since he gave her another of his wide smiles. To her right, Sasuke snorted loudly.

"What?" she demanded when she looked over to meet his smug expression.

"You're pretty cool, Sakura," Sasuke admitted with a shrug.

"I know," Sakura replied with an exaggerated toss of her head.

She had never seen Sasuke laugh so openly before.

* * *

It was quiet after school. Most students had run off with their friends for fast food or gone off to sing at a karaoke place. And as usual, Haruno Sakura was one of the few still lingering in the hallways of the echoing building. But this time, she didn't head to the classroom to fill out a million impossible forms for the student council. Instead, she packed her bag and headed to the student council office that she seldom frequented. When she poked her head inside, a loud shout of relief pierced her ears.

"SENPAI! I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE HERE!" Udon blubbered as he charged straight for her. Bewildered, Sakura patted the boy's head as she looked around the room for an explanation. Neji, sitting at the desk at the head of the room, simply shook his head. The historian, a red-head named Moegi, looked up from her work with a much less hysterical expression.

"Well, Haruno-senpai, after you left, all of the work you managed had to be split up between us," Moegi explained. Udon sniffed as he held up a crudely collated copy of the previous month's financial records. Horrified, she grabbed the packet and began flipping through the spreadsheets. Even from a quick glance, she caught dozens of mistakes as well as what appeared to be a dead butterfly squished between two pages. Gaping, Sakura whirled around to face Aburame Shino who was reclining comfortably on the sofa.

"Shino-kun," she began in as sweet a voice as she could manage. Since he always had sunglasses on, she could never quite tell if he was actually looking at her. But his face turned in her general direction so she went on.

"What is this?" Sakura inquired, pasting on her most pleasant smile.

"December's financial report," he flatly replied without even a shred of remorse. Sakura squeezed her eyes shut to take in a very long, calming breath. When she was confident that she had the strength not to fling the sloppy work straight into Shino's face, she opened her eyes again.

"Okay. I'll revise this and have this done by next week, Kaichou," Sakura promised as she looked in Neji's direction. To her surprise, he looked up at her and nodded without any snide comments or condescending looks.

"It's great to have you back, senpai," Moegi piped up and Udon nodded furiously.

After a quick meeting to take care of some housekeeping, Sakura said goodbye to everyone and half-ran outside. Itachi was already waiting out front with his car. As she approached the passenger's side door, he looked up and a small smile appeared on his lips that made her chest flutter and tingle like a million butterflies had begun dancing inside.

"How was your day?" he asked as she climbed into the seat and tossed her bag into the back. He waited for her to buckle her seatbelt securely before he pulled into traffic. It was always the little gestures like that that touched her. He probably thought she didn't notice. But she did; she remembered the smallest things and it made her heart pound even harder each time he did hold the door or offered his hand to her when she was trying to stand.

Their normal conversation was still a little stilted and awkward. But the silences were punctuated by her shy glances and his knowing smiles and it almost made it better than before. They practiced new routines like usual, Deidara and Kisame antagonizing each other and Sasori taking every opportunity to smack Deidara in the back of the head whenever it was deemed that he was being "too lecherous for Sakura's good". Just before 5 pm, practice ended and Sakura was once again forced to shower before anyone else went near the bathroom.

Their collective chivalry was almost irritating.

Afterwards, Sakura plopped down on the floor in clean jeans and a long-sleeved shirt while running a comb through her damp hair. Kisame lumbered out soon afterwards clad just in sweatpants. He paused in front of her to shake his head, spraying her with water.

"It's Jaws, Sakura-chan! Run away, yeah!" Deidara yelled, ducking as Kisame whirled around in a mock-punch. Laughing and kicking each other like only men could, Deidara and Kisame went at it for a few minutes until Sasori entered the room and dealt each a swift blow to the side of the head. As if he couldn't feel Kisame and Deidara glaring at him, Sasori calmly sank to the floor to Sakura's right and folded his legs up beneath him. He ran his fingers through his hair, tousling it lightly until it settled back into its usual state of perfectly tousled.

"I'm hungry. Let's go out to dinner," Kisame suddenly demanded in a child-like tone.

"Yeah. Let's go get sushi. Oh wait. That's cannibalism for you, isn't it?" Deidara retorted. This time, he was unable to dodge in time as Kisame whirled around to deal him a karate chop to the side of the neck.

"What's happening?" Itachi asked in a whisper as he slipped into the room with a towel hanging around his neck. He settled on the floor to Sakura's left, ducking his head towards hers so he could hear her over Kisame and Deidara's taunts.

"Another sushi joke," Sakura replied with a shrug. Itachi nodded knowingly, his exasperation easily mirroring hers. Sasori silently craned his neck to look over Sakura's shoulder. First, he carefully regarded Itachi and then turned to examine Sakura's expression. Humming thoughtfully to himself, he dug into the pocket of his hoodie and pulled out a green lollipop. Itachi and Sakura watched as he slowly peeled back the wrapper and examined the candy before popping it into his mouth.

"So when did you two get together?" Sasori flatly asked.

At this, Deidara froze mid-kick and Kisame halted mid-punch. Both turned to stare. Deidara, balancing precariously on one foot, lost his balance and toppled to the floor, still wearing the same expression of shock.

"Wh-What are you saying, Sasori-san?" Sakura nervously laughed, trying her best not to look at Itachi.

"Well, a couple weeks ago you could barely stand to be in the same room as Itachi without looking like you would explode from panic. Now look at you," Sasori explained, gesturing to her with his lollipop before sticking it back in his mouth. At this, Sakura looked down at herself and then over at Itachi. They weren't sitting so particularly close together and nothing seemed off to her. When she finally looked into Itachi's face, he seemed to have the same confusion. But an evil smile stretched Kisame's mouth as he evidently saw something they didn't.

"Name all your kids after me, got it? Kisame Junior and Little Kisame. That sounds about right," Kisame chortled.

"What the hell, Fishy-butt! They should be called cute names like Little Dei!" Deidara declared, jumping to his feet.

"Fishy-butt? Why are you looking at my ass, Deidara? I keep telling you I'm not your type. This is sexual harassment," Kisame retorted with the same grin that revealed all his teeth. With a roar of frustration, Deidara whirled around to point at Sakura.

"SEE THAT? THAT HAS BOOBS! I LIKE BOOBS!" Deidara shouted. His finger then moved to poke Kisame in the sternum.

"SEE THIS? YOU DON'T HAVE BOOBS! SO I DON'T LIKE YOU!" the blonde yelled, poking Kisame one more time for emphasis. A collective shock of silence fell over their group. It was only a minute later that Sakura broke the silence, her face scrunched up in a scowl as she drew her knees up to her chest.

"I really wish everyone would stop talking about my boobs."

* * *

Thanks to all my reviewers!


	12. Cupid is a Jerk

It's 2 hours late but since the sun hasn't risen, I'm going to say that it's still Valentine's Day. So here's my slightly late but not really Valentine's Day present to all of you wonderful readers out there.

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Fancy Footwork

Chapter 12: Cupid is a Jerk

The week before Valentine's Day was filled with enough tension to make Sakura want to avoid school altogether. Nervous girls traveled in tight groups of two and three, eyeing the boys they liked with ferocity that sometimes made her afraid to enter the same bathroom as them. At one point, a group of girls claiming to be Sasuke's "favorites" cornered her in the bathroom.

"Who the hell do you think you are, trying to steal Sasuke-kun from us? He's the embodiment of Cupid!" one of the girls sneered, jabbing Sakura hard in the sternum. At this, Sakura burst out laughing.

"Oh you poor girls. You can have Sasuke-kun," Sakura giggled as she pushed past them and exited the bathroom. It was so easy to brush off the little things like that. The day to day irritations meant nothing because after school, she saw a face that always made her smile like an idiot.

The day that Sasori had figured out she and Itachi were dating, Deidara had suffered some sort of mild mental breakdown. He wept furiously, clinging to Kisame's arm. Kisame said nothing, simply held his head high as one or two tears escaped his dark eyes. Over Deidara's loud blubbering, Sasori chewed happily on his lollipop and began asking questions that only Sasori could ever ask.

"So, is he a good kisser, Sakura-chan?"

"Excuse me?" Sakura asked at the same time that Itachi flatly said, "What." Casually rolling his candy against his tongue, Sasori leaned in closer to Sakura. Lip jutting out in a thoughtful expression, he hooked his finger into the collar of her shirt and yanked it aside.

"Sasori-san!" Sakura squealed as she shoved his hands away and crossed her arms over her chest. At the same time, Itachi pushed Sasori away with his foot and proceeded to yank his sweatshirt over her head to shield her from further attacks.

"I see you haven't gotten very far. No hickeys. You must be a man of patience, Itachi," Sasori observed with a respectful nod in Itachi's direction. Sakura's face erupted in a violent shade of scarlet as she ducked her head under her arms to hide her face.

"I'm feeling very violated today. First the boobs and now this," she grumbled against her knee. Itachi heard her and he let out an exasperated laugh.

"Wait, what are you laughing for? We haven't had our say yet, you stinking thief, yeah!" Deidara suddenly piped up. At this, all eyes turned to Deidara and Kisame still hugging each other with tears glistening in their eyes. ("MANLY TEARS, DAMNIT!" Kisame growled even though nobody had said anything.) Roughly rubbing at his eyes with his sleeve, Deidara pointed a dramatic finger in Itachi's face.

"NOTHING HAPPENS UNTIL SHARK-FACE AND I SAY SO!" Deidara declared even as Kisame sat wiping his runny nose.

So they arrived at the restaurant with Sakura tucked under Itachi's arm. They both kept one wary eye on Sasori's serene expression each. Instead of the usual booth, Deidara demanded a table. Kisame, Deidara and Sasori sat on one side, forcing Itachi and Sakura to sit together across from them. After they ordered their food, Deidara folded his arms over his chest with an impressive scowl on his face. To his right, Kisame looked equally disapproving, an impressive feat with his nose still running a little.

"So," Deidara began.

"When did this happen?" Kisame demanded. Without looking at one another, Sakura and Itachi promptly replied, "Christmas." At this, Deidara's composed demeanor shattered. Eyes wide, he lunged across the table to grab both of Sakura's hands.

"My-chan, is that how you did it? You wrapped yourself up and when this bastard asked what his present was, you said, 'Me'? Is that what happened, yeah?" Deidara demanded, alternating between teary looks and some glares directed at Itachi. Frozen with horror, Sakura didn't do anything until Sasori calmly hooked his finger through the label in the back of Deidara's shirt and yanked him back into his seat. Deidara cleared his throat loudly before he took a deep breath and resumed his stern look of disapproval.

"No, Deidara-san. That's not what happened," Sakura ground out, resisting the strong urge to kick him under the table. As if sensing her urge, Kisame looked down at his feet and cautiously drew them to the side to keep his legs out of her line of fire.

"Okay then. My second question is this: Are you being safe, yeah?" Deidara asked in a low voice.

At this, Sakura promptly lost her patience. She drew her foot back, preparing to kick. But before she could, the table jerked as Deidara yelped in pain. She bit her lip to keep from laughing as she looked over at Itachi who had on the same smooth expression of indifference. When their eyes met, the corner of Itachi's mouth pulled up into a knowing smile. Eyes watering, Deidara sucked in a shaky breath through clenched teeth.

"Damn you, My-chan-stealing, kicking weasel," Deidara snarled, drawing his knee up to his chest. Tilting his head to the side, Sasori reached over and poked the exact spot Itachi's foot had made contact with. At this, Deidara let out a strangled howl of pain.

"Good kick," Sasori commented approvingly as he held his hand out to Itachi. The two men shook hands as Deidara turned purple with frustration.

"But seriously, wrap that up, Itachi. I mean I know Sakura-chan's boobs will get bigger if she gets pregn-" Deidara was interrupted when Kisame wisely stuffed his napkin into blonde's mouth. Smiling like nothing was happening, Kisame grabbed Deidara in a headlock, leaning in closer to Sakura.

"Well congrats to you two," Kisame said, tightening his grip when it sounded like Deidara would protest.

And just like that, everyone had been fine with it. Even though Deidara put on a big show of disapproving, he later whispered to her while Itachi was away that it was his job to. Placing a noisy kiss on the side of her head, Deidara congratulated her too but asked that she never tell Itachi that he secretly approved too. Hooking pinkies with him, she had promised only because it was Deidara.

Dance practice went on as usual. As time went on, her legs grew stronger and her moves changed, breaking out of the basic molds that everyone taught her. Kisame started teaching her how to pop and lock properly which was surprisingly easy. She trained flexing her muscles until she was able to tense them enough to pop. Her moves grew bolder, her body learning to stretch and exaggerate moves without her trying. One day, Sasori had pointed out that even the way she walked had changed. Although he had immediately received the usual strange looks for pointing out such a thing, Sakura realized that he was right. It was no longer shoulders hunched and head lowered in a soft look of apology whenever she went anywhere. Her shoulders were thrown back, head lifted proudly and hips swaying just a little with each step.

"It makes them look bigger," Deidara pointed out, cupping his hands to his chest. Sakura didn't deign him with a response as Kisame's tall shadow fell across the unsuspecting blonde.

And then, one day, after practice, Sakura wriggled her shoulders around, trying to figure out what was wrong with her shirt. She looked down at her stomach. She hadn't gained any weight and she was positive that the clothing hadn't shrunk in the wash. Puzzled, she turned to Sasori who was fresh from the shower. She didn't even need to ask him. He looked her over carefully and then a look of utter horror settled over his features.

"You… you… how dare you," Sasori whispered, not looking at her. Instead, his gaze was fixed firmly to her chest. Growing a little concerned, Sakura crossed her arms over her chest.

"What's wrong, Sasori-san?" she asked. Very slowly, Sasori's wide eyes shifted to her face.

"You went up a cup size. Now I have to redesign everything," he explained before he suddenly turned around and then began tearing through his things to find his sketchbook. He sat cross-legged in the corner, furiously adjusting his sketches with a pencil until she was positive that the writing implement would start a fire on the paper. When the others had joined them, first looking at Sasori and then at her for an explanation, Sakura pursed her lips and refused to speak. From then on, she often caught Sasori glaring at her chest whenever he thought she wasn't paying attention. More than once, she had heard Sasori mention "twin traitors" to Deidara and she knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Twin traitors of evil," Sasori insisted as Deidara looked at his friend with concern.

Haruno Kirie flew back to Japan a few weeks into January. When Sakura had helped carry her mother's bags into the apartment, she was aware of her mother's constant shifting, as if she couldn't decide where to stand. Fluttering about like a nervous butterfly, Kirie moved around, touching the trinkets on the bookshelves and straightening picture frames until Sakura had sent her to take a bath before dinner. Instead of sitting at the dining room table built for four, they curled up at the coffee table with bowls of steaming udon and watched whatever was on TV that night. After dinner, they stood at the sink, Kirie washing dishes while Sakura dried them and stacked them in the cupboards.

"You've gotten prettier," Kirie commented as she handed off a bowl. Sakura shrugged innocently, ignoring the sudden sharpness in her mother's gaze.

"They say love is the best beautician," Kirie added with an unconvincingly innocent expression. Rolling her eyes, Sakura wiped her hands dry on a clean towel.

"No, seriously. Come here," Kirie ordered, taking her daughter's shoulders. So, Sakura let her mother examine her. In fact, she did the exact same thing. Her mother had always been a very pretty woman. According to Mikoto, her mother had never been short of eager suitors when she was a college student. Nearly 20 years later, the bloom hadn't left Kirie's face. She had cut her hair into a short bob that framed her face along with thick, blunt bangs that cut across her forehead. If Sakura searched very hard, she could make out the beginnings of a few wrinkles around her mother's light brown eyes.

"You've gotten pretty too, mom," Sakura remarked and Kirie threw her head back to laugh.

"Thank you, sweetheart," Kirie said as she pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead.

Somehow, the simple sound of that giggle was enough to make the apartment feel full again.

* * *

Exactly seven days before Valentine's Day, Sakura sat at her desk before first period. Just as she went to open up her notebook, her cell phone buzzed from inside her bag. She casted a quick glance in the direction of the door. Kakashi-sensei was always at least fifteen minutes late anyway.

"Hello?" she quietly said, cupping her hand around her mouth so her voice wouldn't travel too far. On the other end of the line, she heard Deidara's laugh over the sound of Itachi's "sorry to bother you".

"Somehow... hasn't Sakura-chan gotten prettier?" Naruto, who was visiting from the class next-door, wondered out loud and some of the guys in class perked up to follow his gaze to Sakura. She slowly turned in her seat to give Naruto a frown but the boys seemed unperturbed. She was holding her cell phone up to her ear while Hinata looked on with obvious interest.

"Yeah... now that you mention it-" Shikamaru began but the door slammed open and everyone's eyes were fixed on the thick black eyebrows that entered. It took another moment to realize that these eyebrows were in fact attached to a human being.

"My dear Haruno Sakura! I caught a glimpse of your shining presence this morning as you entered the building and I must say that you are most certainly a blooming beauty in the springtime of youth! I profess my love to you! Please be my girlfriend!" Rock Lee exclaimed as he fell to his knee in front of her.

"Oh... oh my," Hinata managed to squeak out as she looked up at Sakura. And Sakura, wide-eyed and blushing, whirled around to look at Naruto pleadingly.

"Uh, hey Bushy-Brows-senpai! That was actually me! I was wearing a wig! I lost weight over break. Don't I look pretty sexy now?" Naruto blabbered as he stumbled over and seized Lee by the arms. Ignoring Lee's loud protests, Naruto dragged him out of the room. Sakura remained completely frozen as she stared at the spot Lee had been occupying.

"What... just happened?" Sakura finally breathed.

There was a moment of utter silence before raucous laughter exploded from her cell phone.

"HEY BLOOMING BEAUTY-CHAN! ARE YOU BLUSHING, YEAH?" a voice shouted from the other end of the line.

"Not helping!" Sakura growled.

"MY APOLOGIES, SHINING PRESENCE!"

She slid her phone shut and stuffed it into her pocket, ignoring the hot blush flooding her cheeks.

For the rest of the week, she was forced to have Naruto scout out hallways and classrooms to make sure that Rock Lee wasn't waiting to ambush her with flowers or chocolates. As soon as class ended, she half-ran to the student council office, slamming the door shut behind her. While the other members of the student council eyed her with concern, she met Neji's eyes and he offered her a sympathetic nod.

"I would offer my help if it would change anything. But Lee's as easy to deal with as Tenten during her monthly menstruation," Neji said as Sakura stood at his desk, sorting through papers. At this, the entire room went entirely silent.

"Was that… meant to be a joke, Kaichou?" Sakura cautiously asked after a long minute. Looking a little insulted, Neji fixed her with one of his pointed looks that often reduced freshmen to tears.

"Of course not. Do you think I would risk my life to make light of Tenten's premenstrual syndrome?" Neji retorted. Everyone stifled their laughs as they turned back to their work. Grinning broadly, Sakura handed over her stack of finished forms along with the neatly collated and bound financial records that she had revised from Shino's version. The sight of the color-coordinated graphs and immaculate math made Neji's severe expression soften.

"It's….." Neji paused to clear his throat, "It's very convenient to have you back, Haruno-san." Smiling sweetly, Sakura picked up her bag.

"Well thank you, Kaichou. I'll see you all tomorrow," Sakura replied, addressing her second sentence to the rest of the people in the room. A chorus of greetings followed her as she exited the room. When she had explained to Neji that she needed to leave earlier for another club, he had agreed with little protest. Something told her that it had to do with the mountain of paperwork on his desk that had been neatly reduced to a few short stacks within a week of her return. Ever since Sakura had started again, Neji had been more than tolerable to her. In fact, there were times when they actually held full conversations that made her wonder if they would be considered friends. Pondering this, Sakura wandered out to the front gates to where Itachi's car sat idling. As she lifted her hand to wave, a voice pierced the tranquil quiet of the schoolyard.

"MY BLOOMING FLOWER IN THE SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH!" Lee hollered from the other end of the schoolyard. Eyes wide, she quickly looked in his direction before she took off to Itachi's car in a run, her bag banging frantically against her hip. As her hand closed around the handle of the door, she heard Lee's voice right behind her.

"Are my declarations of love not moving enough for a beauty such as yourself? Should I do 1000 push-ups right here to prove the extent of my affection for you?" Lee inquired. Horrified, Sakura stared into the window at Itachi. Itachi, however, looked like he was trying his best not to smile. But when Lee's hand touched her arm, Sakura watched with some satisfaction as the smile slid straight off Itachi's face. The passenger's side window rolled down and the noise made Lee freeze. He probably hadn't noticed the car at all, probably too wrapped up in the springtime of youth that he was always raving about.

"Itachi-san," Sakura greeted him with a wide smile, eyes round with panic. Ignoring Lee altogether, Itachi leaned across the seat towards her.

"You're early," he greeted her. His hand reached out to touch the bottom of her chin, coaxing her towards him. Although it wasn't unusual for him to greet her this way, somehow, the chaste kiss in front of Lee felt a million times more thrilling and embarrassing than usual. Acting like he had just noticed Lee, Itachi tilted his head to look past her shoulder.

"Your friend?" Itachi asked with the confident smirk on his face that always made Sakura remember that he was three years older than her.

"Sakura-san… is this…. Can this be? Have all my youth-filled dreams been for nothing?" Lee asked in a whisper. Trying her best not to seem too relieved, Sakura finally turned to face him. Tears were furiously streaming down Lee's cheeks. Clenching his hands into fists, Lee took a deep breath. He lifted his hand in a dramatic salute to Itachi.

"Then I have lost with honor. May your relationship be filled with the ever-blossoming lotus of youthful joy! Have a nice day!" Lee exclaimed before he turned on his heel and ran off. Sakura stood watching Lee stumble blindly across the grass before he disappeared back into the school.

"Was that what we heard over the phone the other day?" Itachi slowly asked. Sakura nodded grimly as she opened the door and slipped into the seat. She turned around to toss her bag onto the backseat before she fastened her seatbelt.

"That poor boy. I think you broke him," Itachi commented. Incredulous, Sakura poked him in the arm.

"Excuse me? You make it sound like you had no part in it," Sakura protested. Itachi's expression suddenly sobered. With both his hands hanging loosely from the steering wheel, Itachi turned to look at her. The crooked smile pulling at his lips made her heart stop for a moment.

"You make it sound like you didn't like it," Itachi smoothly replied. Blushing, she sunk down into her seat and pulled her scarf up to cover the lower half of her face.

"Just drive, please."

He laughed.

* * *

When Valentine's Day finally did roll around, Sakura made a point of talking to Sasuke as little as possible. Her recently renewed friendship with him had earned her a fair share of evil glares from the other girls in school and she was not planning on becoming the target of bullying. So, ignoring the high-pitched giggles of the girls and the disappointed groans of the boys without chocolate, Sakura wiggled her way through the hallway. She was currently hugging a thick stack of files to her chest that she had just photocopied. The papers were still warm from the printer, smelling faintly of coffee.

"Morning, "someone greeted her in a gruff voice. Barely paying attention, she distractedly replied, "morning" back. When the stranger fell into step beside her, Sakura glanced up from her folders. With the hood of his jacket yanked over his head and dark sunglasses blocking his face, she nearly mistook him for Shino. But when she recognized the gloves she had gotten for him, she gave him a sympathetic look.

"I'm sorry," she simply said as they looked on at the hoard of girls surrounding his locker. He let out a barely audible groan in response.

"Well, you know the teachers won't put up with that during class so you just need to be careful outside the classroom," Sakura pointed out as they walked down the empty hallway. This seemed to cheer Sasuke up. Pulling his hands out of his pockets, he reached over to take half her files from her. When she let out an exasperated sigh, Sasuke snorted quietly.

"What? "

"Mikoto-san taught you pretty well, Sasuke-kun," Sakura remarked with smile.

When they entered the classroom, Hinata was already sitting at her desk, back completely straight. There was a white box clutched in her shaking hands. Sighing, Sakura took her files back from Sasuke and placed the stack down on her desk before she sat and turned to face Hinata.

"He's not here yet, Hinata-chan," Sakura said. Nodding slowly, Hinata slowly relinquished her tight grip on the box. Curious, Sakura lifted the lid to peer at the heart-shaped chocolate inside. There was even a little caricature of Naruto drawn on the top with white frosting.

"I'm so nervous, Sakura-chan," Hinata whispered with frantic eyes. Grimacing sympathetically, Sakura squeezed her friend's hands and then placed the box back between her palms. And at that exact moment, Naruto popped his head into the room.

"You!" he exclaimed dramatically as he pointed at Sakura and bounded over. Waving cheerfully at Hinata, Naruto nudged Sakura's files over and seated himself comfortably on top of her desk.

"So, I guess you ran into Bushy-Brow-senpai," Naruto began with a grin that looked strangely sinister. Still, Sakura nodded. She heard the empty seat next to her scrape back and found Sasuke had removed his sunglasses and jacket and settled in the chair with eyebrows raised.

"He said something about his youth-filled dreams being useless and then wished me a nice day while he cried," Sakura replied, frowning as she tried to wrap her head around the oddness of the entire situation. Naruto held his belly as he laughed hysterically. Sasuke cracked a smile that he promptly tried to hide. Even Hinata momentarily forgot her panic as she tittered behind her hand.

"Oh man, that was a great ab workout. I'll see you guys later. Chouji's mom made a whole bunch of onigiri and I called dibs on the ones with pork," Naruto said, sliding off the desk. He punched Sasuke in the arm, earning a steady glare. Still laughing to himself, Naruto ran out of the room to rejoin his classmates.

"Sakura-chan is that what really happened?" Hinata asked, touching her friend's shoulder. Sakura turned around in her seat to nod. Remembering that Sasuke was right there, Sakura leaned in close to Hinata to explain the details that Naruto had missed out on. Eyes widening and face flushing, Hinata pressed her hands to her open mouth.

"K-ki-ki"

"Shhh!" Sakura interrupted, waving her hands in front of Hinata's face. When she felt Sasuke's curious stare on the side of her face, Sakura glanced his way to shrug innocently.

At the end of the day, at Sakura's insistence, Sasuke texted Naruto, claiming that he had to tell him something important. So when the last bell of the day rang, the blonde promptly rocketed into the room.

"What's the news, Grumpy?" Naruto asked as he walked up to Sasuke. The rest of the class had quickly exited to go check for presents hidden in their lockers or to meet up with their significant others for dates. At this, Sasuke stood without speaking, grabbed Sakura's arm and pulled her out of the room, leaving just Hinata and Naruto standing in the middle of the classroom. They quickly shut the door behind them. Naruto stood scratching his head while Hinata frantically took big breaths.

"Quit spying on them," Sasuke grumbled. He stood with his back pressed to the wall, bag dangling idly from his fingers. Ignoring him, Sakura peered in through the rectangular window in the door. She had to stop herself from cheering when she watched Hinata thrust her chocolate into Naruto's hands. Although she couldn't hear anything, she knew when Hinata had confessed because Naruto turned pink.

"You're such a creep, Sakura," Sasuke scoffed. At this, Sakura turned on her heel and jabbed Sasuke sharply in the rib, making him flinch.

"You're one to talk, Sasuke-kun. You should be more grateful for all those presents those girls give you," Sakura snapped, suddenly remembering the pink paper bag that had held her chocolate for him a few years earlier. But it wasn't sadness or regret that made her grit her teeth. Instead, it was anger at Sasuke's apathetic expression.

"You don't even know the names of the girls who worked so hard for you, do you?" Sakura suddenly asked. Shrugging noncommittally, Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Whatever. I don't even like sweet stuff. I just gave all of it away to the rest of the guys to eat," Sasuke replied.

The words flew out before she could control them.

"You're a real jerk."

As she stormed off, Sasuke stood in the same spot, looking as if she had just slapped him.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke looked up as the door to his bedroom creaked open. He tore his eyes away from his homework to find his older brother standing in the doorway.

"Nii-san? What are you doing home on a Monday? Don't you have work today?" Sasuke asked, leaning back in his seat.

"I took a day off today. You mind if I borrow a couple of your books?" Itachi said, pointing at the bookcase by the bed.

"Go ahead," Sasuke replied as he turned back to his work.

"Sorry to intrude, Oba-san," a loud voice said as footsteps stamped up the stairs. Immediately recognizing the tone, Sasuke swiveled his chair around to look at his brother accusingly. But Itachi seemed to be completely engrossed in a certain book, oblivious to all.

"Oh look! It's Baby Sasu-chan's room! Look at his widdle desk and his widdle chair doing his big-boy homework," Kisame cooed as he entered the room. Deidara followed close behind, an evil grin stretching his mouth.

"Hey, Baby Sasu-chan knows big words like calculator, yeah," Deidara added, throwing his arm over Sasuke's shoulder. Teeth clenching, Sasuke looked over his shoulder at his brother, trying his best to ignore Kisame and Deidara huddled over him, their sickly sweet baby voices making the hairs on his arms stand up straight.

"Nii-san," Sasuke called and Itachi finally looked up from his book.

"Why are they here?"

"Because," Kisame interrupted, grabbing Sasuke's head and forcing the younger boy to look at him, "of something you did or said, you happened to make one of your little friends very unhappy."

"What did I do?" Sasuke demanded in a half-shout as Deidara's arm tightened, trapping him into a headlock. Itachi didn't say anything as he calmly went back to flipping through the book.

"Think very carefully, kid," Kisame growled.

"He obviously doesn't know. Leave him alone. Thanks for the book, Sasuke" Itachi calmly said as he picked up a novel and tucked it under his arm. Although they looked reluctant, Deidara released him and Kisame took a few steps back. Glaring fiercely, Kisame and Deidara backed out of the room. As he left, Deidara mouthed what looked like 'Keep one eye open'.

The next morning, still irritated and perplexed by the encounter, Sasuke went to school early to sleep in the classroom. But as he pushed open the glass door, he heard footsteps echoing down the hall. It was nearly half an hour before classes would begin so the schoolyard was empty. Nobody would ever willingly come to school so ahead of time. Stepping inside as quietly as he could, he switched into his indoor shoes and followed the direction of the noise. A shadow briefly fell across the hallway before the door to the copy room swung partially shut. The ghostly sliver of a wavering shadow still danced across the tiles. He glanced around to make sure no one else was around. As he drew closer to the room, music could be heard through the crack in the door. When he peered past the door, he was met with a sight that made his jaw drop.

The copy machine was happily spitting out papers. But over the mechanical whir of the machine, there was a song playing, one with heavy bass and electric noise that made anyone who listened want to tap his foot to the beat. There was no one watching over the machine though. Instead, Sakura was in the middle of the room, holding onto her phone that was the source of the music. Her eyes were closed as she spun around, happily oblivious to the world. But when Sasuke raised his hand to knock, she held her arm out in front of her and jolted, like someone had yanked on a string attached to it. She repeated it for her other arm and then her legs, moving in time to the beat. If he remembered correctly, his brother had explained that it was called popping, a dance move that Sasuke had struggled to figure out in the past but had never really understood.

When she jerked her hips forward in a pelvic thrust, Sasuke suddenly remembered the girl who had performed at the cultural festival along with his brother and his brother's friends. He lifted his hand to block out Sakura's face, looking at just her body. It was a little harder to tell with her winter uniform on. She was wearing the standard navy blazer over her immaculate blouse that was tucked neatly into her skirt. Even her red neckerchief was neatly tied and laid smooth against her chest. But when Sasuke's gaze traveled down to her legs, he was surprised. She had always worn her skirt knee-length with tall white socks, a safe look that attracted little attention. But now, the hem brushed against her thigh, revealing her pale skin before her knee-high black socks took over.

Had her legs always looked so long?

Quickly shaking his head to center his thoughts, Sasuke tried to mentally compare the girl's proportions to Sakura's. It was difficult to determine anything just by looking; it had been months since the cultural festival. Still, he couldn't quite shake his suspicions. He took another long moment to watch her before he quietly closed the door all the way and headed to homeroom to take the nap he had promised himself.

When classes finally started, Sakura greeted everybody with her usual smile. But when her eyes landed on him, some of the warmth left her expression. Still, she kept on her cheerful expression when she said, "Good morning, Sasuke-kun."

"Morning," he replied, propping his chin up in his hand. He kept his eyes on her throughout the day. Sometimes when she was writing, she would suddenly put down her pencil and stretch her legs out in front of her. Or when she was thinking, she would tap against her notebook with her pencil in rhythms that he couldn't quite discern. A few times, like she could feel his eyes on her, she glanced over her shoulder. But she always seemed to find nothing wrong and went back to work.

Lunch was a tense affair.

Apparently Sakura hadn't told anybody about yesterday, leading everyone to wonder why a frigid quiet had settled over their group. Ino, who had left behind her group of friends to join them, looked angrily from face to face, as if blaming everyone there. From the other side of the room, Ino's friends snorted loudly, commenting on how much fun Ino must be having.

"Sasuke, what did you do?" Shikamaru finally asked after a few minutes of Naruto trying to awkwardly initiate conversation.

"So it **was** you! Apologize to Sakura-chan, you butthole!" Naruto exclaimed, jabbing his chopsticks towards Sasuke's face. Sasuke swatted Naruto's hand away, irritably digging into his rice like he couldn't hear.

"Wait, why does Sasuke have to apologize to Haruno-chan?" Chouji asked, tearing himself away from his lunch with great difficulty. His confusion was mirrored in Hinata's face as she looked over at Sakura's nonchalant expression.

"Clearly, Sasuke here has said something to offend Ugly over here. Now as Naruto explained to me, this usually happens when someone acts like a thing that Naruto lacks," Sai patiently explained with his usual smile. When he said the word "Ugly", Ino smiled triumphantly into her food, clearly gloating over her victory of being called "Miss beautiful" and "Miss lovely" every time she spoke to Sai. Everyone else, however, was preoccupied with trying to untangle Sai's words. Shikamaru was the first to understand, snorting as he pillowed his head on his arms and went back to sleep. And of course poor Naruto was last, screwing up his face as he mouthed Sai's words again and again. When he understood, he immediately flushed.

"You- Wait." The color faded from Naruto's face as he turned to Sasuke.

"What **did** you do?" Naruto demanded. All eyes were fixed on Sasuke. When nobody looked ready to let the subject drop, scowled.

"I just told Sakura how I gave away all those stupid Valentine's chocolates yesterday. I hate sweet food," Sasuke snapped. When he finished speaking, he folded his arms over his chest and settled back in his chair, silently daring anyone to challenge his innocence. It was then that Sai spoke up, his eyebrows raised in genuine confusion.

"How is it that even I understand what he's done wrong but he doesn't?"

"Because everyone here knows the story **except** Sasuke-kun," Ino butted in, eyes glittering the way they did whenever she had gossip to spread. As Ino took a breath, obviously preparing to speak again, Chouji reached across the desks to clamp his hand over her mouth. He exchanged a worried look with Hinata.

"Um… Sakura-chan… would it be alright if we told Uchiha-kun? I mean… if you don't want us to…" Hinata inquired, her voice growing softer and softer as Sakura's neutral expression slowly hardened. Lips pulling into a grim line, Sakura nodded. But her face made it clear that she would play no role in the actual telling. When she saw this, Ino yanked Chouji's hand off and poked Sasuke hard in the shoulder.

"Okay, so in the 7th grade, Sakura was getting all worried or whatever right before Valentine's Day. I thought she was having problems with her mom or something because you know, Sakura's mom's never around-"

"Ino, too much information," Sakura interrupted, her expression growing tight. Shrugging, Ino went on.

"Anyway, a few days before Valentine's, she tells me that she has a crush on you but that she wouldn't make you anything because you hate sugar or something. But that day, she comes to school with this chocolate she made for you and said it was sour-"

"Bitter," Sakura interjected again.

"Yeah. Bitter. It was bitter so you wouldn't hate it. And then she gave it to you and you threw it in the incinerator. I think it's your fault Sakura hasn't been able to find a boyfriend, you know. I read in this magazine that girls with daddy issues and childhood scarring have commitment problems," Ino blathered on and on, oblivious to Naruto's horrified expression and Sakura's cheeks turning redder and redder. It was only when Sakura slapped her hand down and stood, chair legs scraping loudly against the floor, that Ino stopped talking.

"Thanks, Ino-chan. Just what I wanted everyone in the class to hear. Thank you **so much** for telling everyone such **private** information that I trusted you with," Sakura snapped. Face and neck flushed, she stormed out of the room with Hinata and Naruto trailing close after her. Clearly baffled, Ino turned to look at Chouji.

"What? It's the truth," Ino said. Shikamaru lifted his head to fix her with a look.

"Ino, you're a shitty friend sometimes," Shikamaru flatly said.

And Sasuke sat between them as Ino and Shikamaru bickered, feeling like the biggest asshole in the universe.

* * *

Hinata covered for her, telling the teachers that Sakura had a stomach ache and was resting at the nurse's office. Although Hinata and Naruto followed her to try to calm her down, Sakura sent them off. Despite her bad mood, she couldn't help but smile a little when she watched the newly-formed couple walk down the hall together.

After a little silent fuming, Sakura patted the pocket of her blazer and found that she had remembered to take her phone and a set of keys. Deciding that it was better to be productive and angry than moping and angry, she let herself into the student council office and sat at the large desk normally reserved for the president. Since Neji was in class, she didn't see the harm in occupying his chair as she reviewed proposals and signed paperwork. After about an hour, she heard another set of keys jingling at the door. Finding the door already opened, the other person cautiously pushed it open.

"Haruno-san?" Neji said with obvious surprise as he stepped inside. She gave him a distracted wave as she scanned through a recent request for money submitted by the pottery club. After some thought, she lifted the paper for him to see too.

"Kaichou, why is the pottery club asking for a snack budget?" she asked. Scoffing, he looped around the desk to open a drawer filled with stamps. He picked up one and handed it to her. It was one that had the word 'REJECTED' molded into the bottom in bold letters. Gesturing to the ink pad on the desk, Neji waited. Sakura couldn't suppress her little laugh as she rolled the stamp liberally in the red ink and then firmly pounded it into the top of the application.

"That feels…. Surprisingly refreshing," Sakura remarked as she handed the paper over to him. Neji surprised her by smiling too. He tossed the form onto the pile for completed work.

"One of the few perks of being president. It's rather cathartic," Neji admitted. He then picked up a thick stack of paper that had been set aside on top of a file cabinet. He placed the pile next to Sakura's hand and it landed with a satisfying thud.

"These are all the things that I have to reject. I save them so I can crush foolish hopes all at once," he explained, digging another stamp out of his drawer. Simultaneously worried and in awe of his capacity for cruelty, Sakura didn't say anything, instead halving the pile and pushing half towards him. Neji pulled up a chair and began scanning through the papers before stamping his firm rejection across the words in crimson.

But he was right. There was a certain stress-relieving quality to the process. Usually when she worked, she either signed off her approval or discarded the form altogether. It was a testament to Neji's sadism that he actually sent his rejections back to the clubs, mocking them. Maybe at another time she would have found him incredibly rude. But at that moment, still angry at Sasuke and at Ino, the process was actually fun.

"I have study hall. But are you skipping class, Vice President?" Neji casually asked while they worked. Together, they quickly finished up the rejections. Next, they tackled the proposal for next year's school-wide events that needed to be submitted before Neji officially stepped down from his position to graduate.

"Yes. My friend made a fool out of me so now I'm avoiding everyone like a big coward," Sakura snapped, signing her name in quick, angry strokes.

"That Yamanaka girl?" Neji asked, surprising her. She had no idea that he kept tabs on her social circles. So she nodded, looking up from her work.

"I don't like people like her. Loud-mouthed but thoughtless. They always end up doing more harm than good. I've always wondered why you were friends with someone like that," Neji frankly said with his usual condescending sneer. But this time it was directed at someone else. And though he didn't add it, she caught the underlying complement in his tone. He was calling Ino different from her, telling her that she was better.

"Why do you look so shocked? It's my job to know the people in school, Haruno-san," Neji added when he caught her staring at him.

"I told her some really private things and she blurted them in front of everyone like it didn't matter at all," Sakura told him, allowing herself to sulk a little longer.

"Most people are foolish, Haruno-san. They'll forget soon," he replied. At this, her pen froze.

"Are you trying to comfort me, Kaichou?"

"Is it working? Tenten tells me I have the social skills of a potato, which I don't understand because potatoes aren't sentient beings," Neji said with a completely serious face. Sakura coughed to hide her little snort of laughter.

"Yes. You're very comforting, Kaichou. Thank you," she assured him. They exchanged brief smiles before they went back to work. By the time the final bell rang, they had conquered such a huge chunk of work that when Udon and Moegi came in, their eyes popped wide open. Shino was absent, happy to truly neglect all his duties now that Sakura was back. She didn't really mind. It saved her from having to wait for him to finish his work before she ended up doing it all over again anyway. As Sakura helped Udon sort through the receipts and notes various clubs and sports teams had submitted, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Neji said without looking up from his computer.

"Sakura?"

Sakura froze mid-sentence. When she lifted her head, Sasuke was standing in the doorway, her bag dangling from his hand. She bit her lower lip, trying to decide if she was still mad at him. And to her surprise, she found that most of her irritation was now directed at Ino. Still, the fact that Sasuke had decided to come in person meant that he wanted to talk to her. Quietly excusing herself, Sakura followed Sasuke into the hallway. Sasuke set her bag down at her feet before he jammed his hands into his pockets. He was wearing a white t-shirt and dark blue shorts along with sneakers, clearly on his way to basketball practice. Sakura clasped her hands in front of her before she pressed her back against the wall.

"So… I just wanted to tell you that I didn't know back then… I didn't know you had made that chocolate," Sasuke finally said, averting his eyes. Sakura didn't say anything.

"I thought some girl had chickened out and asked you to give hers to me instead. So…I'm sorry, Sakura." Even though his words were quiet and struggled to sound nonchalant, Sakura knew that Sasuke never apologized for anything. Still, she wasn't completely satisfied.

"But that's still not fair to those other girls. They worked up so much courage to give you their chocolates, you know. Back then and yesterday too," Sakura explained. At this, Sasuke let out an exasperated sigh.

"Sakura, I don't care about them. They never talk to me, always skulking around corners and giggling like hyenas whenever I walk past. And then they expect me to suddenly fall head over heels for them over some shitty store-bought chocolate?" Sasuke snapped.

"You sound like an ass right now, Sasuke-kun," Sakura pointed out and he simply rolled his eyes at her.

"Look, even though sometimes I call you annoying, you're actually my friend so I kind of give a crap about what you think about me," he gruffly said.

And suddenly, Sakura understood Sasuke a lot better. She suddenly felt a little sorry for him too. Uchiha Sasuke, probably the most sought-after boyfriend in their grade, probably the boy who hated loud girls the most: constantly surrounded by squealing pseudo-stalkers.

"Okay then. I forgive you," Sakura declared, looking up at him. And she thought maybe for a moment, he looked relieved. But then his eyes narrowed as he looked her over.

"Do you still like me?" he suddenly demanded. Mouth drawing down in a frown, Sakura put her hands on her hips.

"Don't flatter yourself, Sasuke-kun. It lasted maybe a month," she tartly replied. At this, his lips pulled up into one of his signature smirks.

"Good."

When Sakura got into Itachi's car half an hour later, there was such a wide smile on her face that he eyed her with suspicion. She knew that it was a completely 180 from the day before when her entire expression had been twisted into a sour frown. Even though it had been their first Valentine's Day together, she had barely mustered a smile as she had presented him with the slice of triple-chocolate cake she had baked the night before. While the cake had been ridiculously delicious, Sakura's obvious irritation had unsettled Itachi greatly.

In fact, Sakura was so elated that she leaned over to kiss his cheek. A soft blush bloomed across her cheeks as she realized her audacity. But the smile that stretched his mouth filled her with fluttering confidence. She turned on the radio and sang along to the songs while Itachi occasionally glanced over at her with a mixture of confusion and affection.

"I'm guessing you worked things out with your friends?" Itachi ventured as he pulled into the parking lot at Konoha University. At this, Sakura shook her head.

"Oh no. I'm furious with Ino right now," she happily told him.

"Oh," he simply said, obviously confused.

"But I told Sasuke-kun that he was an ass and he apologized," Sakura explained. But as she spoke, her eyes zeroed in on Itachi's extremely convincing look of pleasant surprise. He pretended not to feel her probing gaze as he parked the car and turned off the engine. She leaned towards him to scrutinize his innocent expression.

Yes?" he said, turning to her. As usual, color rose to her cheeks when she realized how close their faces were. Still, she was determined to get an answer.

"Did you do something, Itachi-san?" She found that it was extremely difficult to focus on asking questions when Itachi looked at her like that. He placed his hand on the back of her head, tilting her face up towards his.

"If I did?" he asked back in a low voice that made her shiver.

"Thank you," Sakura managed to whisper before their lips met.

"HEY LOVEBIRDS! NEED ONE OF THESE?" Kisame's familiar voice pierced the quiet. Sakura's head whipped around in time to see Kisame slap a square onto the windshield. When she squinted to read the letters, she felt herself flush from her neck all the way up to the roots of her hair. Seeing her reaction, Kisame fell onto the hood of the car, laughing loudly to himself. Sakura peeked out from between her fingers when she heard Itachi's long, heavy sigh. He looked in her direction before he leaned on the steering wheel. The car's loud horn sounded straight in Kisame's face. Startled, Kisame rolled off the car, landing in an undignified heap on the asphalt.

"I think we both need some new friends," Itachi remarked. Sakura didn't hesitate to nod as they watched Kisame spring to his feet with a scowl.

* * *

After her two week vacation, Haruno Kirie packed her suitcases. This time, she was scheduled to stay in London to work out a deal between her company and a long-time rival. Although she hadn't said an exact date, Sakura knew from her mother's excited chatter that she would be gone for a while. Sakura sat cross-legged on her mother's bed, eating strawberry ice cream straight from the carton. As Kirie dropped a stack of folded t-shirts into her bag, she paused to look up at her daughter. Sakura blinked innocently at her as she shoveled a gigantic spoonful into her deceptively small mouth.

"Honey, I love you but where does all that ice cream go to?" Kirie inquired, shaking her head incredulously. Sakura thought for a moment. After some consideration, she pointed at her hair, making Kirie laugh. It was the curse of Haruno women: hair that was pink and grew very fast.

"Do you need anything before I leave? Should I transfer more money to your account?" Kirie asked, tearing up her room looking for something. Coming up empty-handed, Kirie straightened to see Sakura calmly reach under a pillow to extract a stray shoe.

"Looking for this?" Sakura asked. Kirie sighed as she accepted the pump and threw it onto the other clothes.

"I don't know how you do that. It's like magic," Kirie remarked. Sakura scraped her spoon along the sides of the carton to gather up the last stray hunks of ice cream.

"I don't need any money. What time's your flight?"

Kirie looked around for her itinerary, throwing her hands up in frustration. Sakura scanned the room once before she pointed to something wedged between the hair dryer and pair of jeans resting on top of the dresser. Shaking her head, Kirie extracted the paper and handed it to her.

"Magic," she muttered to herself. Sakura laughed as she smoothed the sheet against her thigh before reading it over.

"I'll be in school when this leaves. Do you want me to come with you to the airport?" Sakura offered, already knowing that her mother would refuse.

"That's alright, sweetie," Kirie said. Sakura nodded absently, watching her mother tear through her room for a little while longer in search of her favorite gold earrings.

"What do you want for dinner, Mom?" Sakura inquired as she got to her feet. She carefully navigated her way around open suitcases and haphazard piles of clothes as she made her way to the door. Kirie stopped packing for a moment to think.

"Something spicy."

"I hate spicy food, mom."

"Too bad. You asked me what I wanted. You can have all the sweet food you want after I leave."

"….Fine."

"I love you, honey."

"Your earrings are over there on your nightstand."

"….Definitely magic."

* * *

Can you tell that Ino's getting on my nerves? Biased author is biased.

Thank you to all my reviewers! And thank you to all you people who are about to review because you're all amazing like that, right?


	13. Here Kitty Kitty

I feel like the only time I'm capable of writing is when I should be studying for exams. Bad student is bad. At any rate, this is the final chapter of Arc 1 so starting next chapter, there will be new stuff, new people and new excitement (I hope).

Thank you to all you amazing readers and reviewers for all your support and I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.

* * *

Fancy Footwork

Chapter 13: Here Kitty Kitty

Kisame knocked on the door just as Sakura went to open it.

"Morning," he said cautiously. He had long ago learned that Sakura was less than a morning person. But she had managed to crawl out of bed and pull on clean black sweatpants and her favorite sweatshirt. She stood in the doorway tying her hair in a high ponytail.

"Good morning," she grunted in return as she bent over to tie her sneakers. Kisame poked at the kitten on her back, earning a little whine as she tried to shake his finger off.

"Where are Deidara-san and Sasori-san?" she inquired as she took a moment to stretch her legs.

"They're working on those clothes for that fashion show. I think they've been sleeping in the studio," Kisame responded with a shrug. Nodding, Sakura locked the door behind her and they began their morning run.

"You really going to model for them?" Kisame asked. Sakura, who had pulled up her hood and tied it securely, looked up at him with her nose pink from the cold. He laughed loudly, hooting, "How cute!" until she shoved him lightly. So they settled back into their quiet morning routine, only their feet hitting the pavement in tandem. February had gone by quickly, taking with it the snow that had covered houses and lawns since December. Still, their breaths came out in misty puffs when it hit the cold morning air.

"Anyway, I thought you didn't want to help them during the show," Kisame continued and Sakura sighed heavily. As they reached a crosswalk, she bounced up and down in place, trying to keep her limbs warm.

"I didn't. But when Sasori-san found a replacement who fit my measurements, Deidara-san…" Sakura trailed off, rolling her eyes. Kisame snorted loudly.

"You know, I heard he ran into Konan-senpai the other day. You think maybe that's been bothering him?" Kisame wondered. Although they hadn't said anything, they had both noticed that whenever they happened to run into the older woman by accident, Deidara would go on a strange rampage of serially meeting new 'friends' and being extra clingy around Sakura.

"I wonder how many girls are getting ready to slap Deidara-san by the end of this year," Sakura sighed. To her surprise, Kisame shook his head.

"You know, Deidara doesn't date, but he's good to the women he meets up with. I don't think he's ever made one cry before," Kisame assured her. But this didn't placate her at all. As the light turned green, she headed across the street with Kisame following after her. Sakura tilted her head over her shoulder to frown at him.

"Just because they don't cry doesn't mean he doesn't hurt them," she replied with a shake of her head. And Kisame's grin faded as he took in her words. They finished the rest of their 45-minute circuit without talking. It wasn't awkward and she wasn't angry. Kisame seemed to be deep in thought, nearly running into a light pole until Sakura tugged on his shirt to pull him out of danger's way. When they stopped in front of Sakura's apartment, Kisame put his hand on her shoulder.

"You've grown up a lot, Kitten," Kisame said and Sakura smiled up at him. Then, with a little salute, Kisame continued the rest of his morning run, his tall back fading into the quiet streets.

As usual, Sakura took a hot shower, letting the water soothe her tired muscles. Sasori had been teaching her about dime-stopping. In fact, he and Deidara had been drilling her over and over about the basics of roboting and she had struggled with it. After years of fluid movements, being locked in to the beat and moving so stiffly was hard for her to accomplish. Still, she practiced with them, working to tense her muscles, learning to sharpen the angles of her movements. So for the past few days, getting out of bed had been a struggle as her body protested the abuse.

When she stood in front of the mirror, wet hair hanging in her face, Sakura reached up to touch her bangs. Since her last hair cut over the summer, it had grown out, bangs falling into her eyes in a straight line. Mentally noting to ask Deidara for a haircut, she dried her hair and pulled it back in a messy bun. After a simple breakfast of toast and coffee, she dressed and was out the door to catch the train. Since there wasn't any work backed up for the student council, she had time to stop by a convenience store near school to buy a carton of strawberry milk. When she arrived at school, other students were already streaming in past the front gates. A few old friends from middle school waved at her as she walked past and she reciprocated.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Recognizing the loud voice, Sakura turned and waited as Naruto half-ran, half-tripped over to her. Tucked under his arm was a fluffy white teddy bear that was holding a box of chocolates.

"You think Hinata-chan will like this?" he puffed out, holding up the bear as he tried to catch his breath. Sakura tried not to laugh as she eyed the ridiculously eager look on her friend's face.

"Naruto, I'm pretty sure Hinata-chan will like anything you buy her," she assured him and an even wider grin spread his mouth. Throwing his arm over her shoulder, he dragged them to class, chattering happily about how much he had struggled to find the right gift for his new girlfriend. He said the word with so much pride: Girlfriend. It was both funny and sweet to see him blunder through his first relationship.

"Morning, grumpy-butt," Naruto yelled as they entered the classroom. He had safely tucked the bear away in his locker on the way there. From the back of the room, Sasuke gave Naruto the middle finger before he went back to reading his book. When Sakura entered the room a second later, his dark eyes drifted to her, narrowing just a little.

"Naruto, this isn't even your classroom. Why are you always here?" Shikamaru grumbled. For once, he wasn't fast asleep. Instead, Shikamaru had his head propped up in his hand as if it was a huge hassle just to keep his head off the desk. When Sakura waved at him, he nodded in greeting before turning his attention back to Naruto who pretended to be utterly insulted.

"Is this how you treat your friend?" Naruto asked, putting his hand over his chest.

"Yes," Sasuke and Shikamaru retorted at the same time. Sakura stifled her giggle with her hand when Naruto whirled around to fix her with a wounded expression. But she was saved from one of his guilt-trips when the door to the classroom slid open.

"G-good morning," Hinata timidly said when all eyes landed on her.

"Good morning, Hinata-chan!" Naruto practically cheered. They both blushed, making everyone else in the room groan. As the happy couple chatted, Sakura sat on Sasuke's desk, ignoring Sasuke when he stared at her over the top of his book. She swung her legs cheerfully as she ripped the straw of the side of the carton and stuck it into the foil top. As she took a large sip of strawberry milk, Sakura finally turned her head to look at Sasuke. He quickly looked back at his book, pretending to be too immersed in his reading to notice her.

"So, you get anything for those girls who gave you chocolate last month?" she inquired with a devilish smile. Sasuke scowled as he set his book down in his lap.

"Restraining orders, maybe," he retorted. Sakura stuck the straw in her mouth to take another sip of sweet milk. As she drank, Sasuke wrinkled his nose.

"Sourpuss," Sakura remarked as she hopped off his desk.

It didn't quite hit her that it was White Day until the end of the school day. As Sakura made her way to the student council office, she caught sight of Naruto handing over his present to Hinata. Hinata's face turned bright red as she stared down at the soft bear. Hugging it tightly to her chest, she lifted her head to say something that made Naruto blush too.

"I feel a little nauseated," Neji remarked as he stopped beside her. Sakura smiled as she lightly nudged him with her elbow.

"Oh come on, Kaichou. Don't tell me you didn't get anything for Tenten-senpai," Sakura teased, something she would have never seen herself doing just a few months ago. And to her surprise, Neji's cheeks turned a suspicious shade of pink. Clearing his throat loudly, he tried to look stern.

"We have work to do, Haruno-san," he stiffly said as he strode off down the hallway. But when Sakura moved to follow, she felt a hand touch her shoulder. When she turned, Ino was standing behind her, biting her lower lip. Sakura recognized the habit, something Ino only did when she was nervous.

"I feel like I should apologize… for those shitty things I said," Ino admitted, her forehead wrinkling as she spoke. It took an extra moment for Sakura to realize what the other girl meant. She had grown so used to being frustrated with Ino and learning to forget it. She realized that Ino was talking about the day after Valentine's Day when just a little too much of her secrets had been revealed. Although a small part of her was tempted to brush off the apology, Sakura had known Ino long enough to know how difficult it was for the girl to ever admit wrong in any situation. So, with a little nod, Sakura simply said, "That's okay."

"I realize sometimes…. I'm kind of mean to you… without meaning to be, anyway. So… I'll try to be a better friend," Ino continued. Sakura took in her words before she smiled.

"Okay, Ino-chan."

"….That's it? You're not mad anymore?" Ino demanded, looking utterly dumbfounded. At this, Sakura shrugged a little.

"Nope."

"Oh."

After a few moments of awkward silence, Sakura glanced over and found Neji waiting at the end of the hallway for her. Their gazes met and she saw the corners of his mouth turn down in disapproval.

"I've got to go, Ino-chan. I'll see you Monday," Sakura said, lightly touching the girl's shoulder. Ino nodded so Sakura turned on her heel and hurried off to join Neji. When she approached, she heard Neji scoff rather loudly.

"It took her a month to apologize," he remarked just quiet enough for Ino not to hear.

"You really don't like her," Sakura observed as he opened the door to the student council office. The two freshmen were already inside, working diligently.

"You have no idea," Neji replied.

After half an hour, Sakura said goodbye to everyone, gathered her things and made her way outside where Itachi's car was waiting as usual. But when she climbed into the passenger's seat, he greeted her with the usual kiss accompanied by a smile that made her suspicious. When he pulled into traffic, Sakura noted that he didn't take the usual exit that led to Konoha University.

"Itachi-san… where are we going?" she asked, partly annoyed that he hadn't brought up anything about White Day.

"We're skipping practice and going on a date. You love horror films, right?" Itachi replied, glancing over at her.

"I do," Sakura softly replied, amazed that he remembered something so little. She remembered mentioning her strange love of scary movies a few weeks ago. He had been surprised but hadn't said anything negative about the topic. Excited to be on their first real date, Sakura chattered happily the entire way there. When she brought up the fact that Ino had apologized, Itachi looked surprised.

"Isn't that your friend that was always pushing off all her work to you?" Itachi questioned.

"Well, ever since I told her that I'm busy, Ino-chan passed her job on to someone else. She said it was too much of a hassle," Sakura replied with a shrug. The corner of Itachi's mouth pulled down in a disapproving frown.

"And it's taken her until now to apologize? You're a much better person than I am for accepting her apology," Itachi remarked and Sakura laughed a little.

The movie Itachi had chosen wasn't full of blood and zombies. Instead, it was chock full of terrifying Japanese ghosts that appeared in mirrors and climbed out of dark places to grasp the ankles of unsuspecting actors and actresses. She clung to his hand throughout the entire film, occasionally hiding her face against his arm when the scenes grew too gruesome. Despite this, she enjoyed the movie immensely. After the two hours were up, they exited the theater with Sakura gushing happily about the ending.

"I never thought it was the pet bird that was evil!" she exclaimed and Itachi nodded.

"It was a very original plot," he agreed. As they walked out of the cinema, they were hit with a burst of cold wind. Itachi reached into his pocket to pull out the black and white checked scarf she had gotten him for Christmas. As he wound it around his neck, their eyes met and she couldn't stop herself from blushing a little.

"Are you hungry?" Itachi queried as he reached out for her hand. Trying her best not to giggle like an idiot, she nodded. Itachi's hands were always warm, reassuring. He had elegant fingers and surprisingly soft skin for a man. Although they had been dating for nearly three months now, it still made her ridiculously happy when they held hands, probably a silly reaction in the eyes of many. But then again, not many had a boyfriend like Uchiha Itachi.

"There's a good diner nearby. Is that alright with you?" he asked. Sakura was a bit too flustered to do much more than nod in response. So they sat at a booth together, across from each other with their coats taking up the space between them. As she skimmed through the menu, she felt Itachi's eyes on her face and she looked up at him, puzzled.

"I have a present for you… but I'm trying to figure out if you'll like it," he explained. Tilting her head to the side, Sakura raised her eyebrows. With a resigned sigh, Itachi reached into his pocket and slid a white box across the table towards her. With shaking hands, Sakura lifted the lid and peered into it. A squeak left her as she lifted necklace out of the soft cotton padding. She smoothed her fingers over the delicate silver chain. From it dangled a little aquamarine stone in the shape of a cat. Words left her as she tried to describe her feelings at that exact moment. Instead, tears welled up in her eyes as she stared down at the beautiful gift. Finally, half-laughing and half-crying, she looked up to see him smiling at her with just a hint of anxiety.

"Thank you," she whispered. Not caring about the other restaurant patrons looking at the strange crying girl, she reached across the table to grasp his hand.

"Happy White Day, Sakura," Itachi said and she let out a noise between a laugh and a hiccup. When they leaned across the table to kiss, she heard the couple sitting in the booth behind them coo.

* * *

"Why are we here, Ino?" Naruto groaned as he dragged his feet up the stairs. Ino stopped and whirled around to point an accusatory finger at him.

"You've been friends with Forehead for 10 years and you still don't know what March 28th is?" Ino snapped as she brought her palm down on his head. Naruto whined, rubbing his sore head. Ino sniffed and then turned back on her heel to stomp up the rest of the steps. Naruto glanced back and watched Sasuke slowly climb up, his hands tucked into his pockets. A small paper bag dangled from his right wrist. Something shiny and pink glittered from inside. Naruto mentally counted the days and felt the blood drain from his face.

"Was yesterday…Sakura-chan's birthday?" he blurted out, looking from Ino to Sasuke and back.

"That's right, stupid!" Ino retorted, not looking back at him. Naruto hurried after her, feeling the panic rise in his chest. She glanced around, peering at the numbers on the doors and then went to the right, sending the brightly colored gift bag in her left hand swinging.

"B-b-but Ino! I don't have a present for her!" Naruto stammered, breaking out into cold sweat. He peeked over his shoulder and eyed Sasuke's small bag. Even the cold-hearted bastard had gotten her something. Sakura would be sad if she knew he had forgotten.

"I know. That's why it says on my card that it's a gift from both of us. Now be quiet! She'll hear us coming!" Ino hissed, flapping her hand at him as she stopped in front of a door. She checked the crumpled piece of paper in her hand for the billionth time. As if reading her thoughts, Sasuke spoke.

"Funny. I remember Sakura's family having some money troubles when we were younger. This place is pretty nice," he muttered as he glanced over the railings and eyed the neatly trimmed topiaries surrounding the water fountain two floors below. He looked back to Ino, his brow furrowing, "Are you sure you have the right place, Ino?"

Ino scowled at him, putting her hands on her hips.

"Of course I am!" she retorted. She suddenly fell silent and the trio heard footsteps echoing from the other end of the hallway. For some reason, the three friends eyed each other and then scrambled to hide in the adjacent hallway. Ino held up a finger to her mouth and then cautiously peered around the corner. To her surprise, there were two people standing in front of the apartment that was supposed to be Sakura's. But they weren't just any people. They both looked to be a few years older than them.

The one with dark red hair that was perfectly styled in messy spikes rapped on the front door. He took off his sunglasses and stuck them in the pocket of his gray military jacket. There were so many piercings in his ears that Ino lost count from far away. The other had long blond hair pulled back into a loose half-ponytail. He was undoubtedly male though. He was wearing a gray t-shirt that fit snugly around his sculpted biceps and faded jeans that showed off his impossibly long legs. He stuck both his hands in his back pockets and shifted his weight to his heels, rocking back and forth. Ino found herself blushing as she realized that the two men standing in front of Sakura's door were extremely attractive. She tilted her head to the side. Somehow… they were both very familiar.

"What's going on?" Ino said to herself as she watched the red-head knock on the door twice. There was a long pause and the blond said something, followed by a loud laugh. His companion cracked a smile but didn't respond. When the door finally opened, music spilled out from inside. A delicious smell wafted out too, making Naruto's stomach gurgle.

"Happy belated birthday, My-chan, yeah!" the blond cheered as he threw himself inside. The redhead followed, holding up a box from the local bakery. From so far away, it was difficult to tell, but Ino was pretty sure that she heard Sakura giggling. When the front door shut, Ino, Sasuke and Naruto exploded from their makeshift hiding place.

"What are those shady people doing here?" Ino demanded, pointing dramatically. For once, she was met with complete silence from her two companions. Sasuke suddenly looked a lot paler than usual and Naruto suddenly turned pink. They both glanced back to the stairs, as if each was contemplating running away. Sasuke and Naruto exchanged glances and after some deliberation, Sasuke and Naruto pushed Ino forward.

"You're the girl. Go," Naruto said, nudging her shoulder. Ino rolled her eyes as she confidently marched forward and rapped on the door three times. She waited, listening to the indistinct babble of voices inside. Someone howled with laughter while some sort of music played in the background. Then, Sakura's voice spoke very close to the door.

"That must be Kisame-san! Sasori-san, can you watch the food?" she called as her hurried footsteps approached.

"Kisame-san, you're late!" she laughed as she wiped her hands on the light yellow apron wrapped around her waist. She was wearing a large blue and gray-striped t-shirt over leggings. But her eyes widened as she saw Sasuke and Naruto very subtly hiding behind Ino. Naruto hesitated for an instant before he lunged and engulfed Sakura in a tight hug. Laughing, Sakura let Naruto sway her back and forth before she pried him off. Sasuke quietly coughed and Ino fidgeted as Naruto took a step back, flashing his signature grin.

"Uh… happy birthday, Forehead. We thought you might want… some company…" Ino explained, drifting off when the blond from before poked his head over Sakura's shoulder. A black skull glittered menacingly in his right earlobe. After a moment of staring at the unexpected guests, his lips pulled up into a cocky grin. Sasuke flinched a little.

"Ah, more high school kids. And Baby Sasu-chan?" he asked, eyeing the new arrivals with a hint of disdain as he rested his elbow on Sakura's head. He focused in on Sasuke, fixing him with a particularly evil grin. Sakura struggled to look up at him with the extra weight on top. Finally, she pouted and reached up to pinch his cheek.

"Owowow! Ok, I'll stop. You're so violent, Sakura-chan!" he relented, standing up straight again. But he grinned as he leaned against the door frame and settled for putting an arm around her shoulders. Sakura scowled up at him, scrunching up her nose. Ino felt his jaw drop and hang stupidly. The Sakura she had known for most of her life had never acted that way. She had always been just nice enough for guys to like her. But she never let the opposite sex touch her so casually. In fact, the only contact with boys she remembered Sakura having were all the times in elementary school when she had caught Naruto ogling girls and punching him in the face for it. When Ino looked around, he found even stone-cold Sasuke's eyes opened wide.

"Ah is Kisame here? Did you bring the soda?" a voice called from inside. Sasuke's face turned even whiter as he recognized the voice. A head appeared over Sakura's other shoulder, his face strikingly similar to Sasuke's.

"Nii-san?" Sasuke blurted out. Itachi blinked, his eyebrows rising.

"Sasuke?" Itachi replied, a little less surprised. But he then noticed the blond casually touching Sakura and his eyes narrowed. His cold gaze sent shivers down everyone's spines. Very reluctantly, the blond turned his head to meet Itachi's frigid eyes.

"Go sexually harass someone else," he ordered, matching the blonde's sullen pout with a stern glare. The two men stared at each other until the blonde's shoulders slumped.

"Jealous old fart," the blond muttered as he slunk away with his hands stuffed into his pockets. Itachi shook his head as Sakura turned back to her friends.

"Well… there's definitely enough food to go around. Would you like to join us?" Sakura asked, motioning towards the inside of the apartment. As she spoke, a huge man with dark blue hair barreled through, wielding bottles of soda like weapons.

"Happy birthday, Squirt! Where do these go?" he asked, forcing Naruto and Sasuke against a wall as he squeezed past. Sakura accepted his one-armed hug and then pointed over her shoulder.

"Kitchen's right there. Glad you could make it," Sakura replied with a bright smile. The blue man mussed her hair as he passed. Further into the apartment, another voice exclaimed "Sharkie!" Naruto and Sasuke stared at each other as they tried to adjust to this foreign environment. There were so many terrifying men and so many things that they didn't understand. The red-head poked his head into the hallway with a completely blank expression. Behind him, the blond and the blue man tumbled to the ground as they wrestled each other. His calm face amongst the chaos was borderline hysterical.

"Ah. It's Raging Pervert Baby Sasu-chan and friends," he noted without any indication that he was surprised. When Sakura looked expectantly at him, the red-head spoke again.

"Sakura-chan, the water's boiling," he stated. Sakura jumped. Her head whipped around to look at her three unexpected guests and then back to the stoic redhead. She grabbed Naruto and Ino's arms, dragging them further into the foyer.

"Make yourselves at home," she hurriedly said as she ran off to the kitchen.

This left just the three high school students and one of said student's older brother. And Ino, being… Ino… eyed Itachi's taut muscles and smiled. She leaned in closer to him, batting her eyelashes, pouting her lips and generally pulling out all of her seductive charms. Forget Sasuke-kun. His older brother was so much hotter. To her horror, Itachi didn't even glance at her as he directed the boys into the living room. Naruto rolled his eyes as he grabbed Ino by the arm and dragged her along with them. The redhead was settled comfortably in an armchair, a fashion magazine opened his lap. He looked up, crunching expressionlessly on a lollipop. The blond was sprawled across the beige sofa, his feet dangling lazily over the armrest. He noticed Itachi and scowled but didn't bother to sit up.

"Sasori-senpai, Deidara, these are Sakura's friends from school," Itachi simply said. At this, Deidara heaved a dramatic sigh. He rolled to his side, propping his chin up in his hand. Immediately a cruel grin spread across his face as he took in Sasuke who scowled back.

"Aw, it's Baby Sasu-chan. Is it okay for you to be away from mommy?" Deidara sneered. A deep guffaw echoed from somewhere else in the apartment. Sasuke pursed his lips as the tips of his ears turned pink. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he crossed the room and sunk into a seat far away from the blonde. Growing bored of his usual sport of tormenting the younger Uchiha, Deidara's eyes focused in on Ino, who immediately felt a rush of pleasure that such a handsome man was taking interest in her. But after a moment, his lip curled. He kicked at the armchair and Sasori looked over at him with a weary glare. Deidara jerked his chin towards Ino and Sasori grudgingly looked Ino up and down too.

"Good hair. Nice skin. Kind of top-heavy. And with those wide hips, it would be difficult to dress her in certain styles," Sasori finally announced. Ino felt the blood drain from her face. Naruto and Sasuke's jaws dropped. Nobody had ever complained about Ino's upper assets before.

Sasori tossed the stick of his lollipop into the garbage can and pulled another one from his pocket. His long fingers patiently untwisted the plastic wrapper as Deidara rubbed his smooth chin and seemed to consider his friend's words.

"Gaudy sense of style too, yeah," Deidara finally added, his cerulean eyes lingering on her tight purple shirt and denim miniskirt that rode low across her hipbones. With a final nod, he rolled over and tucked his head under his arm. Ino's face grew hot as she took in the sudden criticism. She balled her hands into fists, silently shaking with humiliation and the fury that came along with it. But just as she opened her mouth to say something back, with Naruto automatically shrinking away from her, Sakura's voice floated out from the kitchen.

"You're terrible. You complain that I'm too flat and now you complain that Ino-chan's not flat enough. What **is** good enough for you two?" Sakura laughed. Sasuke, who had been carefully monitoring his brother, didn't fail to notice when Itachi's eyes drifted in the direction of the kitchen, glittering with amusement. Deidara looked up with a completely serious expression as he replied, "You don't count, Sakura-chan. Like I said, Sakura-chan, yours fit you just right." Without warning, Kisame appeared behind the couch and smacked the blonde in the forehead, muttering something about 'Goldilocks and the Three Boobs again' under his breath.

"Thank you, Kisame-san," Sakura called and Kisame chuckled.

"Can someone get these dishes out of the cabinet?" she inquired and Deidara immediately perked up, only to have Kisame smother him by sitting on his legs.

"Itachi, go help the midget," Kisame ordered with a roguish wink. Itachi shot him an amused look as he pushed off from the wall and headed across the hall to the kitchen. And Sasuke, overcome by his curiosity, snuck over to spy on them. Ever since he had seen Sakura dancing in the copy room the month before, he had been trying to figure out what was going on with her. And now that his brother was thrown in the mix, he was certain that something was up. When he peered around the doorway, he found his brother leaning against the counter, his elbows resting on the marble tops.

"I feel like someone else should be cooking since it's your birthday party," Itachi remarked with a half-smile. Sakura dipped her spoon into the pot and took a careful sip of the food. She tasted carefully, eyebrows drawing together as she thought.

"Well, since Kisame-san can't make anything other than cereal and Deidara-san insists on putting oyster sauce in anything he cooks, I don't think I have much of a choice," Sakura replied with a little laugh. She reached around him to get the salt shaker. But he stopped her, putting his hand on her wrist.

"Are you sure? We could still go out for dinner. Sushi? Or maybe Italian food?" Itachi said in a voice that made goosebumps appear on Sasuke's arms.

"No, that's alright. Besides, where else would we get to be this loud without getting kicked out?" Sakura responded with a smile. And then Itachi placed his hand on the back of her head and dipped towards her to-

"OH MY GOD THEY'RE KISSING!" Naruto blurted out. Sasuke whirled around and found Naruto crouching beside him, peeking out past the doorway. Ino was on the other side of the doorway, staring at the couple in rapt fascination. And at the extremely audible sound of Naruto's voice, Sakura and Itachi turned to look at them.

While Sakura turned bright red and tried to hide her face in the front of Itachi's shirt, Itachi didn't seem at all bothered. In fact, he paused to meet his brother's eyes before he pressed a kiss to the top of Sakura's head.

"ITACHI-SAN!" Sakura whined, tugging at his sleeve.

"Wait, Sakura…. You're…" Ino tried to form complete sentences. Naruto lay on the floor beside her, his legs moving wildly in the air as he laughed hysterically. First he pointed at Sakura's mortified expression before he looked at Ino who had turned purple and Sasuke who had turned completely white. Finally, Naruto was laughing so hard that no noise came out of his mouth at all so he laid shaking and shaking until he couldn't breathe.

"…..You're dating my brother?" Sasuke finally asked, only lips moving. Attracted by the noise, Kisame and Deidara walked over, their arms slung over each other's shoulders. They stopped just in front of Naruto. Kisame nudged the boy's stomach with his toe, making sure it wasn't a corpse lying there. When Naruto twitched, Kisame seemed satisfied enough and turned his attention back to Sakura who looked ready to explode from embarrassment.

"You didn't tell them, Kitten?" Kisame asked with a broad grin stretching his mouth.

"Kitten?" Sasuke repeated, looking sick to his stomach. No one paid much attention to him as Sakura instead burrowed deeper against Itachi's shirt. Itachi chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her, patting her head when she let out another aggravated whine.

"I told my friend Hinata-chan," Sakura told him, her voice muffled. But Ino seemed to hear clearly. She opened her mouth to demand to know why she hadn't been informed. The words stuck in her throat. Ino took a step back, looking at the strange people moving towards Sakura. Kisame and Deidara crouched on either side of her, trying to peek up at her face past Itachi. To Ino, this was an alien world. Even the girl she was looking at was completely different, not the girl who had relied on her for so long and always responded to her with a smile. And even if, in a foul mood, she had been a little mean to her, Sakura had never held it against her.

Until now, that is.

"Wait. Did Hinata-chan tell you?" Sakura suddenly demanded, head popping up to look over Itachi's shoulder. She fixed Naruto with such a fierce glare that her blush receded. At this, Naruto bolted upright, raising his hands above his head like a criminal.

"No!" he insisted. When Sakura continued to stare at him, Naruto let out a loud groan of frustration.

"I swear she didn't! But I sort of figured out that you had a boyfriend since you've been all sunshine and flowers lately," Naruto earnestly explained. Kisame snorted but quickly tried to stifle the noise when Sakura's frown turned to him.

"More like they've both been farting rainbows," Deidara snorted under his breath. Sakura didn't even need to look in his direction to know that Sasori smacked the blonde in the back of the head.

"You're dating my brother?" Sasuke repeated in the same incredulous tone as before.

"That's right, Baby Sasu-chan. Better start calling Sakura-chan sister-in-law from now on," Kisame said with a toothy grin. He threw his arm around Sasuke but Sasuke didn't seem to notice at all.

Surprisingly, it was Sasori that broke the tension by pointing out that the curry was boiling. With a groan, Sakura hurried over to reduce the heat and stir the food once with a wooden spatula. While Naruto and Ino wandered away from the kitchen, quickly bored by watching Sakura cook, Sasuke stood rooted in the doorway. It was only when Kisame and Deidara dragged him off that Sakura and Itachi were left alone again. Leaning heavily against the counter, Sakura put her hands over her face and sighed loudly.

"I think Sasuke took that rather well," Itachi remarked. Peering out at him between her fingers, Sakura fixed him with a look.

"I'm being serious. And you were planning to tell him at some point, right?" Itachi continued, looking over at her expectantly.

"…I was," Sakura conceded, not meeting his eyes. After a moment of fiddling with the hem of her shirt, she lifted her head. A smile lifted the corner of his mouth as he touched her cheek with the back of his hand, tracing her cheek with his knuckles.

"Are you alright then?" he asked in a low voice that made a delicious shiver run down her spine. She glanced over his shoulder into the living room across the hall. Kisame was hovering over Sasuke who seemed to have come out of his catatonic state. Deidara was chatting with Ino, his eyes lingering a little too long on her chest. Sasori was lying on his back on the sofa, staring raptly at one of his sketchbooks. Nobody seemed to be paying any attention to what was happening in the kitchen.

"I'm fine," Sakura quietly replied.

"Good," Itachi murmured. He stretched his arms to place his hands on the counter, caging her between his arms.

"Itachi-san! What if someone comes in here?" Sakura hissed as her cheeks flushed. A low chuckle rumbled through his chest that made her breath catch in the back of her throat.

"Why? What are you thinking about doing, Sakura-san?" he inquired, shifting his weight so that his shadow fell across her. Her squeak of surprise melted into a sigh when he pressed his lips to hers. She timidly held on to the front of his shirt as she rose on her tiptoes to meet him. Their kisses had slowly grown less and less chaste. Sakura knew he was going slow for her, always thinking about not frightening her. Even now, she could feel the tension in his shoulders and chest, arms purposely locking so he wouldn't try to touch her. So she was the one to instigate. In a quick burst of courage, Sakura lightly bit his lower lip, teeth gently scraping.

A noise like a growl rose in the back of his throat. Sakura struggled not to make too much noise when he wrapped his arms around her to lift her up on the counter. She automatically draped her arms over his shoulders to keep balance.

"Itachi-san, what are you-" He interrupted her by capturing her mouth again. Her heart sped up, drumming furiously inside her chest as his hands smoothed over her back. A giggle escaped her when his fingers skimmed over her sides.

"Ticklish are we?" Itachi whispered against the side of her mouth. He pressed a light kiss to her left cheek.

"I am… and… the food…." Sakura tried to protest. But she forgot the rest of her words when Itachi looked straight at her. She stared into his dark eyes, a little dazed, until he pressed one last kiss to her mouth.

"Did I remember to say this before? Happy belated birthday," he said, slipping his arm around her waist to help her off the counter. When she lifted the lid of the pot to check the contents of the pot, Sakura felt something strange on the side of her face. Looking up, she found Sasuke gaping at her, his fingers hanging uselessly midair. Naruto was sitting next to him, shaking with silent roars of laughter.

Half an hour later, Deidara and Kisame peered into the kitchen, loudly complaining about how hungry they were.

"Aha!" Deidara exclaimed as he jumped in through the doorway, clearly expecting to find something scandalous. All he found, however, was Sakura lifting a spoon to Itachi's mouth. As he carefully tasted the curry, Sakura looked on with anxiety.

"How is it?"

"It's good. Did you put apples in this?" Itachi asked as he peered into the pot.

"Apples and pumpkin," she corrected as she nudged past him, balancing plates of rice and a ladle. She stirred the golden mélange of vegetables and chunks of chicken before scooping a generous portion on each mound of rice. Fragrant steam rose into the air and Kisame and Deidara sucked in greedy breaths through their nostrils.

"Would someone get the spoons please?" Sakura requested as she handed off two plates to Itachi. Eager to eat, Kisame grabbed a handful of spoons and ran off bellowing, "FOOD TIME!" There was a great clamor as everyone shuffled around pulling out cups and napkins. Sasori and Deidara cleared off the countless sketchbooks and scraps of fabric littering the coffee table just as Itachi and Sakura arrived wielding hot plates of rice covered in sweet curry.

"I added extra chicken in yours, Sasori-san," Sakura said as she placed a plate in front of the red-head. He nodded approvingly, tilting his head this way and that to observe the food, eyeing it like the ultimate masterpiece. Deidara plopped down on Sasori's left, rubbing his hands together eagerly. When Naruto, Sasuke and Ino hovered unsurely on the other side of the living room, Kisame threw his arms over Naruto and Sasuke and shoved them down across from Sasori and Deidara. Ino seated herself next to Naruto, eyeing Sasori and Deidara with suspicion.

"Better keep the pervert away from the girl," Kisame chortled as he wedged himself between Deidara and Ino. He cheered when Sakura handed him a heaping plate of food.

"You're the best, Kitten. And this stuff smells amazing!" he exclaimed, taking a deep breath. Laughing, Sakura settled to Sasori's right, tucking her legs underneath herself. Itachi handed the last few plates to the Sasuke and Naruto and then sat between Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke shoveled food into his mouth, keeping his suspicious gaze focused intently between his brother and Sakura.

"This is **DELICIOUS**!" Deidara yelled in between mouthfuls. Beside him, Kisame nodded furiously as he ate. But when their eyes met, a sudden spark of electricity passed between them. At the same time, they slammed down their empty bowls and yelled one word:

"MORE!"

"Oh hell. Not this crap again," Sasori said, wiping the corner of his mouth with his napkin.

"Oh wow… and I thought Naruto ate a lot," Ino remarked as she watched Kisame and Deidara frantically shovel food into their faces.

"MORE!"

"I feel like any time we eat together, Deidara-san and Kisame-san end up having eating contests," Sakura explained in response to Ino's baffled expression.

"It's a little repulsive," Sakura and Itachi added at the same time. They looked over at each other and laughed. When they looked up, Kisame and Deidara had magically stopped eating. Instead, they were eying the happy couple with identical looks of disgust.

"Aw man I think I'm going to puke, yeah," Deidara groaned.

"That's alright, Deidara. Don't be jealous. At least you have Kisame," Sasori flatly said as he set his spoon down and patted his stomach. Glaring, Deidara slowly twisted his body to look over at Sasori.

"You're sick, yeah," Deidara growled.

"Yeah. That's disgusting Sasori-senpai. I'm much too high-class for Deidara," Kisame agreed as he lifted his plate to his mouth to lick it clean.

"Wrong, Cuttlefish-chan! It's you who is not good enough for me!" Deidara argued. While the two were busy snarling at each other, Sakura began gathering everyone's empty plates and stacking them.

"Sasuke and Naruto-kun should do the dishes," Itachi suggested with a pointed look that made it impossible for Sasuke to argue. Naruto, however, seemed enthusiastic about the whole idea.

"Of course, Itachi nii-chan!" Naruto cheerfully said as he grabbed a precariously stack of plates and ran off to the kitchen. Clearly sulking, Sasuke slunk after Naruto, still shooting little frowns in his brother's direction.

"At least I'm not a gigolo like YOU!" Kisame roared, jabbing his finger into Deidara's chest. They were standing nose-to-nose, snarling at each other like angry dogs. As Sakura hugged her knees to her chest, she felt Itachi put his arm over her shoulders, pulling her closer to his side. She looked up at him.

"Should we stop them, Itachi-san?" she inquired. He thought this offer through for a moment. But when Deidara tried to karate chop Kisame and ended up falling onto his butt instead, Itachi just shook his head.

"Leave them until it's time for cake," he advised.

It was a good plan. Though Kisame and Deidara became entangled in a ferocious wrestling match, when Sasori left to retrieve the cake from the refrigerator, the pair suddenly came to a truce. Laughing and punching each other in the arms, they scooted back up to the coffee table where they were greeted by Sakura's little sigh of exasperation. When Sasori opened up the pink box and slid out the birthday cake, a squeal left Sakura's mouth. It was a small round cake covered in fluffy white frosting and decorated with chocolate stars and big swirls of frosting. On impulse, when Sasori sat down, she threw her arms around him in a big hug.

"Thank you!" Sakura gushed as she went on and on praising the cake until Sasuke and Naruto rejoined them. Although Sasori's expression didn't change, he patted the back of her head in response.

They sang to her, watched her blow out all 17 candles. She began cutting the slices out of the cake and immediately Deidara and Kisame erupted into a fresh argument over whose piece was bigger and therefore who Sakura liked best. Rolling her eyes at their childishness, Sakura carved out a large chunk of frosting and popped it in her mouth.

"Yummy!" she exclaimed.

"Present time!" Kisame interrupted, pushing Deidara back by the face and then digging behind the sofa to present his large box. It seemed that he had practiced his wrapping technique since Christmas because this time the wrapping paper actually covered most of what was underneath. When she carefully peeled away the tape holding the whole thing together, a huge laugh exploded out of Sakura.

"This is amazing!" Sakura laughed as she opened up the box and held up the piece of clothing inside. At first glance it looked to be an ordinary hoodie. But when the hood was lifted, attached cat ears were visible.

"Thank you so much, Kisame-san," Sakura said, making the tall man blush.

"Ooh! Us next!" Deidara interrupted, pushing Naruto aside when the younger boy tried to speak. Deidara handed over a much smaller box wrapped in shiny silver paper.

"It's from the both of us," Deidara needlessly explained. Eyeing the pair with suspicion, Sakura slowly peeled back the paper and opened up the white box revealed. Resting on the simple blue cushion was a small metal cuff. Attached to one end was a thin silver chain that linked it to a small stud in the shape of a skull. Puzzled, she lifted it up to examine the peculiar piece of jewelry.

"The skull goes here," Sasori explained, across the table to lightly pinch her earlobe between his thumb and pointer finger.

"And the cuff goes here, yeah," Deidara added, touching the cartilage on her left ear.

"Sasori and I had a workshop on crafting jewelry so we made this for you, My-chan," he proudly announced. Eyes wide, Sakura reached up to touch her ear. Quickly catching on, Itachi reached over and placed his hand on her head to hug her protectively against his chest.

"Oh come on, grumpy. Sasori's got at least 4 holes in each ear and I've got 2," Deidara sighed, rolling his eyes.

"There will be no extra holes…" Itachi began rather sternly. But when he caught Kisame's smug look, Itachi abruptly stopped. Confused, Sakura tilted her head to look at Itachi. Their eyes met at the same time that Kisame's leer grew even wider.

"Gross! Kisame-san!" Sakura exclaimed, turning to hide her face against Itachi's shoulder. Her blush spread all the way from her cheeks down to the back of her neck.

"Oh come on, Eel-chan. That's just mean! Holes!" Deidara snickered, nudging Sasori in the side with his elbow. Sasori let out a loud huff of irritation as he smacked Deidara in the side of the head and shoved him hard, toppling the blond over on his side.

"Sakura-chan, it looks like Sasuke isn't the only raging pervert around here. I advise that you keep far away from this one as well," Sasori calmly instructed as he dug his heel into Deidara's side, extracting a howl of pain from his unfortunate best friend. Sakura nodded as she cautiously turned her head to peer out at them.

"Um.. innuendos about… holes aside…. I always thought it would be cool to get one of these…" Sakura admitted a little reluctantly. At this, Deidara immediately sprang back up. He threw his arms triumphantly over his head. Lunging across the table and jostling everyone with his flailing arms, Deidara crushed her in a tight hug.

"I'm glad you like it, My-chan!" Deidara practically sang. Sasori ground his fist into Deidara's temple to pry him off before he also reached out (much more calmly) and hugged her too.

"Thank you," she simply said, giggling when Deidara began miming strangling Sasori from behind. As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Sasori twisted around to glare at Deidara.

"Hold on, you two. We need to see what our dear captain got for his missus," Kisame reminded them just as Sasori began rolling up a magazine to assault Deidara with. At this, everyone looked back to Itachi and Sakura who were still entangled in a rather intimate embrace. Her blush flaring up again, Sakura slowly pulled away from Itachi, trying not to giggle nervously. Itachi smiled wryly as he settled for putting his arm around her shoulders, still keeping her close to his side. He placed a box on the table in front of her. The wrapping paper was black and decorated with cherry blossoms that matched with the wide pink ribbon that held it together.

"This looks expensive," she mused, shooting a suspicious gaze at her boyfriend. He shrugged innocently as he nudged the box closer towards her. Finally she pulled off the ribbon and tore into the wrapping paper. An unexpected laugh exploded after her as she uncovered a simple black photo album. In the square meant as a cover picture, he had fit in a picture from summer break when everyone had buried Kisame in the sand and sculpted a fat old man's body out of the sand for him. As she flipped the pages, Deidara and Sasori crowded in closer, peering over her shoulders and Deidara resting his chin on top of her head to get a better look. There were pages and pages of photos, some from the summer and some from dance practice.

And in almost all of them, she was smiling or laughing. She was learning to do a nike, balancing on her hands to lift her feet in the air. She was eating French fries and battling Deidara with one hand as he tried to steal her food. She was splashing in the ocean, riding on top of Kisame's broad shoulders. She was doing the tango with Sasori. She was curled up on the bench in the dance studio, taking a nap.

The last picture was from one of their days at the beach. Sakura was lying on her stomach on a blue towel. Her legs were still glistening with water and bits of sand stuck to her wet toes. In the background, Kisame had Deidara lifted high over his head, clearly threatening to throw him back into the water. And while Sakura seemed busy reading the book held in her hands, Itachi, who was lying on the towel beside her, was staring at her. He was stretched out on his back, wet hair tangling in his face in a disheveled but somehow attractive way. And Itachi's dark eyes were fixated on her, the corners of his mouth turning up a little. When she had finished looking through the album, Sakura looked up and found that Itachi was making the same face now.

"How long did it take you to put this together, Itachi-san?" Sakura inquired.

"You like it then?" Itachi said, evading her question. Smiling shyly, she nodded.

"Thank you," she quietly said as she craned her neck to kiss his cheek. At this, Deidara and Kisame pretended to sob loudly as they stood throwing their arms about each other.

"OH I LOVE IT ITACHI-SAN! IT'S SO ROMANTIC!" Deidara wailed in a high-pitched voice.

"I'M SO HAPPY THEN, SAKURA-SAN! MARRY ME! WE'LL HAVE 20 BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS THAT ARE ALL NAMED KISA-CHAN AND DEI-CHAN!" Kisame shouted back in an extremely deep voice. When they began pretending to make out, Sakura scowled. When she glanced over at Sasori, the red-head made a jabbing motion with his fist. So, following his example, Sakura knocked her arm into the back of Kisame's knees. His legs buckled, sending his face crashing directly into Deidara's.

"UGH! WHAT THE HELL, AQUAMAN! DON'T GO REALLY KISSING ME! I'M INTO WOMEN!" Deidara spluttered, pushing Kisame off.

"SHUT UP! THAT WAS GROSS FOR ME TOO!" Kisame spluttered as he wiped his mouth furiously on the back of his hand.

"For the record, nobody would ever name daughters after you two," Itachi informed them as he patted the top of Sakura's head. She nodded.

"Actually, nobody would name human children after you both," Sakura added. Sasori leaned across the table to give her a high-five.

As Deidara and Kisame continued frantically wiping at their lips, ("Soiled lips," Kisame grumbled.) Sasuke gruffly pushed his bag towards Sakura.

"Oh… you got me something?" Sakura said as her eyes widened. Sasuke didn't reply as he looked away from her. When she reached into the bag, she pulled out a thick book bound with real leather.

"I remember you said you liked that author… so…" Sasuke trailed off as a faint blush rose to his cheeks.

"Yeah. I did say that. Thank you, Sasuke-kun," she softly said, smiling at him. Muttering to himself, Sasuke shrugged and pretended that his face wasn't pink with embarrassment.

"US NEXT!" Naruto quickly declared as he plopped Ino's bag down in Sakura's hand.

"Hehe! I mean, it was mostly my idea but Ino just wrapped it and stuff,"" Naruto bluffed. When Sakura pulled out a set of peppermint-scented lotions and body washes, she rolled her eyes.

"I'm so sure this was your idea, Naruto. Thank you, Ino. And thank** you,** Naruto," Sakura said, fixing Naruto with a pointed look. He laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. Ino smiled tightly. Sakura's reaction was nowhere near as exuberant as it had been for the other gifts.

"Oh what about Hinata-chan? Why isn't she here?" Naruto suddenly asked, remembering how excited his girlfriend had been to give her first close friend a birthday present.

"Hinata-chan had to go away this weekend so she gave me my gift yesterday. See?" Sakura explained, pointing to the potted orchid sitting on the windowsill. Ino's eyes lit up. As the daughter of a rather successful florist, the sight of the smooth white petals filled her with nostalgia.

"You've always had a thing for white flowers, Sakura," Ino commented without thinking.

"Yeah. I have, haven't I?" Sakura agreed.

"OH CRAP WE NEED TO GO, YEAH!" Deidara suddenly exclaimed, scrambling to his feet. When Sasori didn't move, Deidara pointed wildly at the clock that proclaimed that it was now 8:30 PM. Sasori's normally sleepy eyes grew wide as he hurried about collecting his sketchbooks and packing his things. Deidara did the same, shoving all his drawings into his messenger bag.

"We need to finalize the designs for next week. Happy birthday, My-chan. See you for the final fitting tomorrow," Deidara blurted out all at once before he kissed the top of her head and ran out.

"Happy birthday," Sasori simply said as he patted her cheek and followed Deidara. The sound of the front door slamming shut echoed through the apartment. While Sakura, Kisame and Itachi exchanged knowing laughs, Ino, Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other with visible confusion.

"On that note, I better get going too," Kisame grunted as he got to his feet.

"What? Why?" Sakura asked. Seeing her stricken face, Kisame chortled.

"I've got work in the morning, Kitten. Why? Sad to see your favorite person leave?" he teased as he put on his jacket. Sakura scowled at him until he leaned over to tweak her nose.

"Happy birthday, Sakura-chan," he said. Kisame patted Itachi's shoulder before he exited too.

"Uh…. We should get going too, right guys?" Naruto suddenly said, laughing nervously. He patted Sasuke's shoulder a few times, trying to draw his friend's attention. When Itachi arched an eyebrow at him, Sasuke let out a groan.

"Yeah. Let's leave before I puke," Sasuke muttered, standing up. When Sakura moved to see them out, Sasuke stopped her by holding up his hand. Naruto and Ino stood too, Naruto staggering as he patted his stomach that was filled up with curry and cake, an odd but satisfying combination. He let out a drawn-out belch that Ino awarded by smacking his arm.

"Later, Sakura. I'll see you on Monday," Sasuke said, turning to meet her wide-eyed gaze. His eyes lingered unhappily on his brother's hand for a moment.

"And tell me if my brother does anything weird to you….I'll… I'll beat him up or something," he added, not meeting her eyes. At this, Sakura laughed a little.

"Will do. Thanks, Sasuke-kun," Sakura replied. Nodding awkwardly, Sasuke shoved his arms into his jacket and practically raced out the door. Puzzled by their friend's sudden shyness, Ino and Naruto stared after Sasuke. And ignoring Sasuke's previous protests, Sakura stood to let Naruto squeeze her in one of his big bear hugs.

"Sorry for forgetting your birthday this year. I'll make it up to you next time, okay?" Naruto promised as he released her. Then, with a manly salute towards Itachi, the blond threw his coat over his shoulder and moved off to catch up with Sasuke, essentially abandoning Ino.

"Um… this was fun…" Ino lamely said.

"Yeah. It was. Thanks for remembering, Ino-chan," Sakura said, spreading her arms for a hug. With a look of immense relief, Ino accepted, pulling Sakura into a surprisingly tight hug.

"You're a good person, Sakura. A better person than I am," Ino said. As they drew apart, Sakura offered a wry smile.

"Probably not. You better catch up with those two. You shouldn't walk home alone in the dark," Sakura said. Ino nodded, giving her a tentative smile. Sakura walked her to the door and watched as Ino climbed down the stairs to the sidewalk below. Naruto and Sasuke apparently weren't as thoughtless as they seemed because they were waiting for her under a streetlight. When they caught sight of Sakura standing in the doorway, Naruto waved his arms happily at her.

"BYE, SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto shouted. Sasuke immediately cuffed Naruto in the back of the head.

"Quiet, moron," Sasuke hissed. When Ino joined them, all three of them took a moment to wave at her; even Sasuke raised a hand before they all turned and began the walk home. Sakura stood watching, her arms folded over her chest until their silhouettes melted into the darkened city. She started a little when Itachi sneaked up behind her to wrap his arms around her waist.

"Is something bothering you?" Itachi queried. She almost laughed at how easily he read her.

"I just realized that we've all changed. It makes me a little sad and a little happy all at once," Sakura replied in a soft voice. Itachi didn't say anything, simply pressing a soft kiss to her left temple before he slipped back into the apartment. She stood listening to the clatter of Itachi picking up plates for a minute before she shut the front door and went to help him.

* * *

The next Friday, the seniors graduated from Konoha High School. As the girls swirled around the popular seniors, each pleading and wheedling to get the buttons off their jackets, Sakura quietly slipped away from the crowded courtyard and back into the school building. She had grown used to walking in empty hallways, always working before and after everyone else. But when she approached the student council office, she found the door ajar.

"Still working? Shouldn't you be out there saying goodbye to all your friends, Kaichou?" Sakura commented as she stepped into the room. Neji was sitting on top of his desk, dressed in his impeccable uniform. Each one of his gold buttons was in its place, not a wrinkle in his suit. His diploma was rolled up in his hand as he looked up at her. The corner of his mouth quirked in what she recognized as his smile.

"You know, technically you're Kaichou now that I've graduated, Haruno-san," Neji replied. Sakura laughed as she took a few steps into the room.

"It still sounds a little weird to me. Maybe I'll make Shino-kun Kaichou and I'll keep my position," Sakura joked. Neji cringed.

"And watch this school's government collapse like a bad soufflé? I won't be able to sleep at night," he snorted in response. He rapped his knuckles against the top of the desk as he took a sweeping look around the room.

"Was I good at my job?" he suddenly asked. Sakura made a big show of putting her hands on her hips and mulling over the idea.

"Well, your general aura of warmth and kindness really had a way of putting people at ease," Sakura joked. For a moment, Neji frowned at her in the way that he had used to. But then his expression lightened a little.

"You did your job perfectly. It was the people part that got you, I think," Sakura admitted.

"That sounds about right," Neji agreed as he nodded a little. With a final sigh, he slipped off the edge of the desk. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his name tag and handed it to her*. Sakura hesitated for a moment, her hands hovering awkwardly in front of her.

"Um… I'm sorry but-" she began but Neji interrupted her with an exasperated eye roll.

"No, Haruno-san. I'm giving it to you as a friend, to the only person I'm entrusting with this crummy school," Neji said. She couldn't refuse after an explanation like that. So, with a little bow of her head, Sakura accepted the plastic tag and ran her fingers along his name engraved in kanji.

"Friend?" she repeated as she arched an eyebrow at him.

"Don't make me repeat it. You know sentimentality is painful for me," he half-joked. So, with a firm handshake, Sakura watched as Neji walked out of the room, his polished shoes echoing against the tiled floor. After casting a quick glance around, she stared at the desk that had previously been occupied. Turning the nametag over in her fingers, she sat on top of the desk and twisted around to watch the students, former and current, milling around in the courtyard.

"Haruno Kaichou, huh? Still sounds funny," she muttered to herself. As she sat soaking in the new title, her cell phone buzzed from inside the pocket of her jacket. With absent fingers, she pulled the phone out to look at the screen. An unfamiliar number appeared with an area code that belonged inside Konoha. A little puzzled, but feeling social, she accepted the call.

"Hello?" she said, lifting the phone to her ear.

"Sakura-chan."

The blood running through her veins seemed to freeze up. An overwhelming feeling of suffocation grabbed at the inside of her throat, like her lungs were filling with water instead of air. As her fingers went slack, letting her phone slip away, only one word managed to choke its way through her mouth:

"Daddy."

**ARC 1 END**

* * *

*Giving of the name tag- Okay so this won't make sense unless explained. At high school or middle school graduation, normally a graduating senior would give the second button of his jacket to the girl he likes. And if other girls that like him ask for buttons, he usually gives away all the other ones. But nowadays giving stuff like cuff links off the uniform and name tags serves a similar purpose. So Sakura thought that Neji was confessing to her when he was really just being tsundere and plain old Neji.

On another note, huzzah for the end of 11th grade for Sakura. And huzzah for cliffhangers?

Anyway, reviews please. Lots and lots of reviews of what you liked, what you think's going to happen- all that good stuff.


	14. Arc 2: Senior: Telephone

Don't have much to say here. I apologize for the lack of fluff and lovey-dovey-ness in this chapter. If I drink enough coffee, I might be able to post the next chapter within the next few days so keep an eye out.

Enjoy!

* * *

Fancy Footwork

Arc 2: Senior

Chapter 14: Telephone

The short spring break before the new school year started was somewhat of a mess.

Sakura didn't actually remember hanging up the phone or dialing Itachi. But about 20 minutes later, he burst into the student council office, sweaty and out of breath.

"Are you alright?" he immediately demanded, looking around for some sort of threat. She couldn't think of anything to say as she threw her arms around his neck, not crying and not shaking. And though he was bewildered, Itachi held her tightly without saying anything else. He didn't ask her about why she had called him, though she caught him staring apprehensively at her.

"Do you want to leave?" Itachi finally asked, his hand gently stroking her hair. After a moment of hesitation, she slowly nodded. She sat mutely on top of the desk, watching as he picked up her bag and slung it over his shoulder. He looked around the room once before he yanked his scarf off, the same one with the black and white checked pattern she had gotten for him. With careful hands, he draped it around her neck and tied it loosely.

"It's a little windy outside," he explained when she looked confused. Putting his arm around her, he led her into the hallway, each of his footsteps matching hers. Or maybe it was her feet that were following his. She couldn't really tell even though her eyes were glued to their shoes the entire walk to the car. His feet were so much bigger than hers. She felt like such a child walking alongside him. They made their way to his car parked in front of the school.

"Hey, Sakura-chan! Are you heading home already? Bushy-brow-senpai's looking for you!" Naruto called out, running up to them. The other side of the schoolyard was still crowded with students busy saying their last farewells and taking photos. At the sound of Naruto's voice, Sakura slowly looked over at him. She stopped walking and Itachi did too.

"Ah, Itachi-nii-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, just noticing Itachi standing there as well. His large blue eyes darted between Sakura and Itachi a few times before a grin split his face.

"Enjoying some lovey-dovey time?" the blond teased. But when Sakura didn't reply, his expression fell. Finally noticing her blank face, Naruto took another step closer.

"Hey, you okay?"

"I'll see you next week, Naruto," Sakura quietly responded. Itachi seemed to take this as his cue to lead her away. He patted Naruto's shoulder once before he began walking again. From across the yard, Sasuke, who had been talking to Shikamaru, suddenly looked up. He locked eyes with his brother. It took him less than a second to notice Sakura's pale face, unfocused gaze. Sasuke's eyes narrowed with suspicion, flitting in an accusatory manner to Itachi. Itachi silently shook his head, a promise to explain later. Seemingly satisfied, Sasuke nodded once and then turned back to his friends' conversation.

"Do you want me to take you home?" Itachi asked as he opened the car door for her. The way she climbed into the spot now easily claimed as hers was sluggish. Even the sound of the door closing sounded wrong, too sharp somehow. Itachi looped around to the driver's seat, tossing her bag in the back before he buckled himself in and started the engine. Sakura drew her knees up to her chest.

"We can't skip practice," she replied, staring straight ahead. Itachi leaned against the steering wheel, craning his neck to get a better look at her. Very slowly, Sakura turned towards him. She tried her best to smile naturally, knowing that he would see through her immediately. He sighed but not in an angry way. He sounded worried, tired maybe. It was strange how she could read him so well through that one sound. It was nice, to be able to boast about knowing him so well now but it was also a little scary. That meant he knew her even better.

"Alright," Itachi conceded. He didn't ask any more questions on the drive there. Sakura was grateful for that. She was also grateful that he didn't turn on the radio. The silence was something she needed. She played the voice over and over in her head, trying to gather the faint grains of memories that still lingered somewhere in the back of her mind. All she had were flashes, brief glimpses of eyes and a spoken word or two.

He held her hand as they walked up to the studio. She was reluctant to let him go when they reached the brightly lit room. Sasori and Kisame were lying on their backs in the middle of the floor, Kisame snoring contentedly while Sasori was studying something on his phone rather carefully. Only Deidara was stretching, bending over to touch his toes. When they entered, Deidara gave the usual cheerful greeting while Kisame snorted awake, scrambling to pretend that he had been awake the entire time. Sasori's mouth was set in a tight line, golden eyes lingering on Sakura's face. When he looked over at Itachi, an unspoken concern passed between them.

"I'm going to go change," Sakura announced, trying to emulate the usual cheer she felt around her friends. It was weird. Usually she didn't have to force herself to smile. It was fun being near these people, being herself. But today, even Kisame's broad grin couldn't cheer her up enough. She opened up her little locker by the door with a key and grabbed some clothes. When she had replaced her uniform for grey sweatpants and a simple red tank top, she came back downstairs. Kisame suddenly stopped talking as soon as the door opened. Only Deidara seemed completely unfazed by her entrance.

"Hey there! Did you listen to those new songs I sent you, My-chan?" Deidara asked, running over to put his hands on her shoulders and steer her towards the mirrors.

"Not the last two. Why?" she asked.

"We're working out new choreography for them. You have any ideas, yeah?" Deidara pressed. She immediately could tell that he was trying his best to distract her. When she glanced around the room, she found everyone else smiling a little too wide, laughing a little too loudly. They were all putting in so much effort for her. When she looked back in the mirror, she almost reached out to touch the face that stared back at her. With a little effort, she turned up the corners of her mouth.

"I actually do," she replied.

It was strange. A couple hours into planning out the choreography, which wasn't such a tiring task in itself, Sakura felt the need to close her eyes. Since it was mostly Itachi, Sasori and her suggesting things while Kisame and Deidara worked out the actual physical moves, it felt weird that she was suddenly so drained.

"My head hurts," she muttered mostly to herself but Itachi suddenly stopped talking.

"Wait, what did you say, yeah?" Deidara asked. Sakura felt Itachi shift to put his arm around her, pulling her closer. She let her head fall against his shoulder.

"No, Deidara. I meant- Kisame, move to the right a little," Itachi patiently instructed. As the sound of his low voice filled her ears, she let out a deep breath. Everything was so perfectly safe right there. Even the sound of Sasori on her right crunching through another lollipop with his molars was a peaceful noise. The crinkle of plastic as he ripped off another wrapper was a familiar sound. Sneakers were squeaking across the floor. There was a muted thud and the sound of Deidara snickering. Someone turned down the stereo. Someone else was gulping down water and smacking his lips loudly.

"Is she sleeping?" Kisame inquired from nearby. There was the crinkle and pop of someone ripping open a bag of chips. A loud crunching filled the room before there was a slap and then the crunching became quieter, slower.

"She won't tell me exactly what it is," Itachi sighed.

"Maybe something happened to her at school, yeah," Deidara suggested, munching between words.

"Is it something with her mom?" Sasori wondered.

"Speaking of which, have you talked to your mom lately, Kisame?" Itachi asked. Kisame grunted.

"She's been bitching at my pops about needing more money. Poor old guy's killing himself just trying to make enough as is. Last time she called she started talking crap about him so I hung up on her," Kisame scoffed. The crunching stopped. Someone let out a heavy sigh of disapproval.

"It'll get better, man," Deidara solemnly said.

"Deidara, did you eat all those by yourself? I thought we were saving some for Sakura-chan!" Kisame complained loudly. Everyone else shushed him and he let out a whispered apology.

"Doesn't she look a little pale?" Sasori suddenly said. When Itachi's hand touched her forehead it felt oddly cool.

"I think she's a little warm. We should let her sleep," Itachi quietly said. There was muted rustling and then Itachi carefully moved her off his shoulder. Apparently they had laid out their jackets on the floor for her. Itachi swept her hair out of her face before someone covered her with a jacket. In hushed voices, they moved away and she finally drifted off to sleep.

What Sakura woke to was someone touching her forehead.

"I don't think it's a fever. Sakura-san, are you awake?"

Sakura blinked a few times to clear her vision before she realized that Itachi was sitting cross-legged in front of her. Behind him, Deidara was sitting on Kisame's shoulders and making horrible impressions of a bird while Sasori stood throwing wadded up sheets of newspaper at them. A little confused by the scene unfolding before her, Sakura instead focused back on Itachi.

"Come on. I'm taking you home. It's almost 9," he said as she sat up.

"And if you don't get some sleep, we'll never hear the end of Deidara's complaining tomorrow," he added. She smiled, imagining Deidara going on and on about the importance of beauty sleep for healthy skin. When the others noticed her standing and looking around for her things, Kisame promptly threw Deidara off and walked over to retrieve her bag from underneath a pile of stuff that had been pushed into a corner.

"Thank you," she sighed as she pulled on her blazer and took her bag by the straps only to have it casually taken by Itachi. He slung it over his shoulder and took her hand.

"Feel better, My-chan. We'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning, yeah," Deidara said as he elbowed Kisame out of the way to pinch Sakura's cheek. She wrinkled her nose at him but she couldn't stay mad at his cheerful grin. Sasori carefully sorted through the stash of lollipops in the pocket of his sweatshirt and picked out one of his favorite red ones.

"Don't worry. If we really need to, we'll put a wig on Kisame and say you had a growth spurt," Sasori flatly said, looking her straight in the eyes. Stifling a laugh, Sakura accepted the candy and stuck it in her jacket pocket. As if to make a point, Sasori turned and pretended to jot down the taller man's measurements while Kisame stood fluttering his eyelashes and striking poses.

"Good night, everyone," she said and they all waved at her as Itachi led her outside.

"So, how does it feel to be a senior in high school now?" Itachi casually asked as they made their way to the car. She stopped dead in her tracks for a minute. She had completely forgotten about how excited she had been.

"Itachi-san, listen. The results of the student body's votes came out this morning. And I was elected as Student Body President for next year," Sakura announced. Itachi looked over at her with a smile.

"Why don't you look all surprised or excited? I mean… I know that you're an Uchiha but…" Sakura said, a little disappointed by his calm reaction. At this, Itachi's eyes widened a little and then he chuckled quietly.

"Why would I be surprised? Is there anyone else in your grade who deserves that job more than you do? But I'm sorry. That's not the reaction you wanted. Congratulations," Itachi said, leaning over press an apologetic kiss to her forehead. She wanted to stay a little mad at him but at that she had to giggle like a silly little girl. When she had been officially announced as Kaichou, of course Moegi and Udon had run over to congratulate her furiously and all her friends had been happy for her too. Even surly Sasuke had patted her arm in celebration. But hearing one simple word from her boyfriend trumped all of the other warm, fuzzy feelings that others had given her. The way the corner of his mouth curled up a little higher on one side and the way his long eyelashes cast shadows over his cheekbones in the semi-darkness made her heart skip a beat… or two….or three.

"I almost forgot after…" Sakura trailed off as she remembered the impossible voice that had traveled through her phone and into her ear. Itachi didn't say anything as he started the car and began the drive back to her apartment. She sat in the dark, twiddling her thumbs. Each time they passed under a streetlight, a flood of orange splashed through the car and colored his skin gold. His long fingers curled perfectly over the steering wheel. Not thinking, she tentatively reached out to touch the back of his right hand. Itachi glanced at her with a questioning look.

"Um… the person who called… I can't be absolutely sure because I only heard him say my name…. but I think that person might have been…. My dad?" Sakura slowly explained, stumbling and faltering over her words. Even as she spoke, her story sounded absolutely ridiculous to her own ears. But Itachi didn't laugh at her. He didn't scoff. He didn't tell her she sounded crazy. He simply continued driving and they sat in silence for a solid minute.

"Did your father have any siblings? Any relatives who sounded like him?" Itachi inquired. Sakura thought for a moment before she pressed her hands to her temples and sighed.

"He was an only child. I never met any of his friends or relatives, only people from my mom's side. I sound like an idiot. Can we please talk about something else?" she blabbed, trying to banish the voice that was playing over and over inside her head. Itachi took his right hand off the steering wheel to take her hand. His fingers curled tightly around hers, a reassuring weight and warmth.

"You don't sound like an idiot. You can talk about it when you feel better," he assured her. Her chest tightened at his gentle tone. She didn't know what she had done to deserve to hear exactly what she needed to hear. She didn't know how to express just how grateful she was for him at that moment. So she lifted their joined hands and pressed his palm flush against her left cheek.

"Thank you," she softly said. He smiled at her again before he turned his attention to the road, steering with his left hand. Sakura let their joined hands fall between them, resting against the emergency break.

"Did I tell you I'm getting a haircut tomorrow?" he suddenly told her. Startled, Sakura looked over at him.

"What? Why?" she demanded. His dark hair was so perfect and she especially loved the way it looked when he came down from his shower. Of course she would never admit that to anybody dead or alive- much too embarrassing. But the idea of those long locks disappearing filled her with a most likely irrational sadness.

"My father's been nagging me about it. And it's getting a little unmanageable," Itachi explained with a little shrug. Some part of her realized what he was doing as she began arguing about all the reasons why he shouldn't cut off his hair. He was trying to distract her. And though it didn't work perfectly, he was able to make her laugh when he asked if she would prefer that he bleach all his hair and become Deidara. Before she knew it, they arrived in front of her apartment complex. They let the car idle as they sat together in the quiet.

"Are you feeling alright?" Itachi slowly asked, as if he were measuring out each of his words.

"I feel better," she replied. Even in the dark, she knew a little furrow would appear between his eyebrows at her response.

"Good night. I'll see you tomorrow," Itachi said, reaching for her in the dark. He placed his hand on the back of her head, the other on her cheek as he kissed her. The soft touch of his lips was even softer than usual and the sound of his sigh against her mouth made a shiver run up her spine. She felt him smile as he pulled away from her.

"Go inside. It's chilly," he encouraged her, reaching behind him to hand over her schoolbag. Sakura nodded.

"Good night," she responded as she opened the door and hopped out of the car. She hurried across the street and down the sidewalk. As she climbed up the stairs, she turned around and found Itachi still waiting, his forearms resting on the steering wheel. When their eyes met, he waved a little. He lingered until she had unlocked her front door, gone inside, locked it again and then peered out the window to let him know she was fine It was only then that he gave one last wave and finally drove off.

The next day could be described as a fashion apocalypse. Just as Deidara and Sasori had instructed her to, Sakura took the train to Konoha University early in the morning and arrived at the theater just before 9 am. As soon as she opened the front door, she was bombarded with people in black clothes and earpieces all running around, frantically talking into their cellphones, some giving instructions and some being shouted at. Some ran past carrying lights and power cords that they struggled not to trip over. She weaved her way through the technological chaos to the dressing rooms in the back. But there, she was confronted with a fresh wave of pandemonium that came in the form of fabric and makeup and people running with scissors. As soon as she set foot in the room, Sasori and Deidara tackled her and lifted her to the station they had set up in the corner. There were already other women sitting in chairs with their hair pinned back as someone applied their make-up.

"What did you have for breakfast this morning, My-chan?" Deidara demanded as Sasori forced a bundle of cloth into her hands and shoved her behind a small folding screen.

"Some yogurt with cereal and a strawberry smoothie," Sakura replied as she changed into the sleeveless white dress Sasori had practically thrown at her. Pressing her hands against her chest to keep the dress from slipping off, she poked her head out to ask Sasori to zip it up for her.

"Okay. You've had sugar. No wonder you're all cheerful. How are you feeling, nervous, yeah? Maybe a little panicky?" Deidara said, practically tripping over his own words. He began rifling through his cosmetics case in almost frantic, maniac movements as Sasori pulled her out from behind the screen take a quick look at her. He then pushed her into the chair set up in front of the vanity and turned over control to Deidara.

"Uh… Deidara-san, it sounds like you're the one that's panicking… just a little," Sakura pointed out and Sasori nodded his silent assent. Deidara whipped around to fix them both with a glare.

"Oh shut up, you jerks," he grumbled as he walked over to take Sakura's face in his hands. He angled her head first to the right and then to the left to get a better look at her skin.

"Hm… okay, looks like you've been listening to me about using more moisturizers. And no major breakouts. Looks like I've got some good raw material to work with, yeah," Deidara mused to himself. His eyes flickered to Sasori.

"Do you mind doing Sakura-chan's nails?" he requested and Sasori nodded. As Sasori busied himself sorting through colors, Deidara stood in front of Sakura and stepped on the lever on her chair a few times to raise her up. He grabbed one of the many bottles in his inventory and began rubbing a pleasant-smelling lotion into her skin.

"The truth is, Sasori's the one really freaking out about this one, yeah. He's so worried he can't even talk," Deidara confided in her as he gave her cheeks a little pat. When he searched for a sponge, Sasori returned armed with bottles of nail polish and small brushes. He perched himself on the table right beside her chair and busied himself with her left hand.

"So… I noticed a lot of the other girls here are really pretty…" Sakura observed and Sasori and Deidara promptly stopped in the middle of their tasks. Sasori fixed her with one of his dead stares of disapproval while Deidara outright glowered at her.

"None of that from you today. You're a million times prettier than these old hags. Most of them have had plastic surgery done anyway," Deidara scoffed, earning glares from the nearby women. Comforted by the idea, Sakura nodded a little and they went back to work. Deidara's voice was warm as he patiently explained each step of his process. The soft flutters of his brushes buffed at every inch of her face until he was satisfied. As he stood waiting for the glue on the fake eyelashes to get sticky, Deidara leaned over to check on Sasori's work.

"Ooh I think if this whole fashion designer thing falls through, you should work in a nail salon," Deidara remarked. Sasori didn't speak but instead looked up to jab Deidara in the forehead with black nail polish. They squabbled for a minute before Deidara found some acetone to rub the mark off. Then he set about fixing the fake eyelashes in place and blowing to make sure they dried properly. They were long and feathery with tiny white gems accentuating the corners of her eyes. As Deidara stood curling her eyelashes, there was a commotion at the door.

"MOVE IT, BROADS! WHERE THE HELL IS THAT ASSHOLE!" a man's voice roared. Deidara and Sasori exchanged eye rolls as a man elbowed his way past women left and right. With a clatter, he threw down his bag. When Deidara finally removed the eyelash curler, Sakura was able to get a good look at the strange arrival. He had silver hair slicked back without a strand out of place. His mouth twisted up into what looked like a leer as he surveyed her with violet eyes.

"Deidara, you lolicon!" he snorted as he punched Deidara in the arm. Deidara gave him the middle finger while his back was turned.

"Sakura-chan, this irritating bastard is Hidan, yeah. He's doing your hair because despite the fact that I hate his guts… he knows what he's doing," Deidara said like someone was shoving splinters under his nails. He ground his words together in a near-snarl while Hidan looked on with a haughty smirk. Sakura eyed Hidan and then the set of incredibly sharp scissors he had brought along. Her panicked expression then flickered to Sasori who calmly looked down at her.

"He won't screw up, Sakura-chan. I have even bigger scissors than he does. I'll avenge your death if necessary," Sasori assured her, holding up his giant fabric scissors that actually did little to assuage her concerns. To prove his voice, he snipped at the air a few times.

"Shut up," Hidan snapped as he reached for a scissor and deftly twirled it around his pointer finger. Sasori patted her head as Deidara fixed a smock around her neck so the dress underneath wouldn't be disturbed.

"You saw those sketches Deidara sent you?" Sasori asked. Hidan barely paid any attention to Sasori as he ran his fingers through Sakura's hair. His hands were surprisingly gentle for someone with such a crude mouth.

"Huh? Oh yeah. I got it," Hidan muttered in response. Still not at all relaxed about this turn of events, Sakura fixed her wide-eyed gaze on Deidara. At this, Deidara let out a short laugh as he walked over to poke her nose.

"Don't worry, My-chan. This guy's a pain in the ass but I trust him," Deidara said. And though his words were hardly soothing, she decided to go with this rather strange development. Squeezing her eyes shut, she let him do his work. Almost immediately she heard the sound of scissors snipping furiously.

"Ah, isn't that too short, yeah?" Deidara complained and Sakura almost opened her eyes.

"No it isn't, little Dei-chan. So shut your damn mouth," Hidan snarled without stopping his work. After a few minutes, she felt Hidan tousle her hair. It felt surprisingly lighter and almost fluffy.

"Hey, tiny girl, what hair products do you use?" Hidan demanded as he began straightening her hair with a flatiron.

"Whatever's on sale at the supermarket that month I guess," Sakura replied, thinking back to the stack of coupons she had clipped from the newspaper a few days before.

"Ah, there's a sale on ground pork today. I wonder if I'll make it in time," she wondered aloud. A laugh spurted out of Deidara before he managed to clamp his hand over his mouth.

"And this color's natural too. Hmm…." Hidan continued to think aloud. He sprayed some mousse into his hair and began running his fingers through the tips of her hair, pulling them inwards in firm movements. After he dabbed the remaining product on her bangs, he wiped his hands on Deidara's sleeve and put his hands on his hips. Deidara scowled fiercely as he looked at the wet spot on his shirt.

"Wow," Sasori said, looking up from Sakura's nails. Deidara let out a long sigh as he looked over at Hidan. Almost grudgingly, he stuck his hand out to shake Hidan's. Hidan snorted unappreciatively as he knocked Deidara's hand away.

"Save it, pretty boy. Let me know how this thing goes," Hidan yawned as he grabbed his bag of tools and strolled off.

Sakura only had a few seconds to look at herself in the mirror. She barely recognized herself. Her hair fell in a soft bob around her face that somehow made her feel a little older, maybe even a little more mature. Hidan had cut off a sizeable portion of her hair, leaving it to fall just past her chin, but she liked the effect. And Deidara's make-up had magically made her eyes huge and doll-like, cheeks perfectly rosy and mouth plump and red. She blinked a few times, just to make sure the face was her own. She almost wanted to cry but she stopped herself, knowing Deidara would most likely blow a blood vessel if she ruined his hard work. She caught Sasori's knowing look in the mirror and he seemed to understand as he squeezed her shoulder for a moment.

Everything was a frantic whirlwind of Deidara touching up her make-up while Sasori went around attaching the extra parts to her dress.

After much debate and a few arguments with Deidara that had ended with one of them flipping over some furniture, they had settled on a piece for the show. It had taken countless pages of discarded sketches and hours spent picking out the tiniest details for fabric, but they had finished what Deidara declared "a masterpiece" (and for once, Sasori had agreed with him). The bottom most layer was a simple sleeveless white dress. The front fell to just above her knee while the back was much longer, trailing after her whenever she moved. On top was a layer of soft black lace that fell from just under her chest and mimicked the lengths of the dress underneath. On the left side of her chest was a cluster of large red flowers that seemed to glitter in the right light. Giving her a nod of approval, Sasori turned her around one last time. He took her hand to steady her as Deidara knelt and helped her slip into simple black sandals.

"15 minutes until all models will report to the stage," a voice announced over the loudspeakers.

"Crap. I forgot the bracelet in the car. I'll be right back, yeah," Deidara exclaimed as he ran out, nearly colliding with four people on his way.

"How are you feeling?" Sasori asked as he helped her sit on a stool so she wouldn't wrinkle her dress.

"A little nervous. Not as bad as before the cultural festival though," she admitted with a little giggle. Sasori cracked a smile as he touched the edge of the intricate lace that flowed down her dress. She could see from the way he looked upon his work that he was truly proud of himself. Each stitch and each cut had been done with painstaking attention to detail.

"I'm really proud of you, Sasori-san," Sakura suddenly told him. Sasori blinked slowly as he looked up at her.

"I am too," he solemnly replied. They both laughed. They chatted for a few minutes while the chaos grew progressively worse around them. People were arguing, scrambling around and looking for things they had forgotten. One of the models had thrown a tantrum and stormed off, leaving that particular group of students with an automatic F for the project. Sakura shook her head sympathetically as the forlorn students threw their arms over each other and tried their best not to cry.

"Here! Left them in the cup holder, yeah!" Deidara shouted as he ran over to them. He glanced over at the spectacle nearby before he fastened the accessory on Sakura's left wrist. He had made it from scraps of black lace that matched the dress along with a thick section of red ribbon. Patting her bare shoulder, Deidara jabbed his finger in the direction of the blubbering students.

"What happened here, yeah?" he asked.

"Model bailed. Less competition for us, I guess," Sasori explained with a shrug. Sakura and Deidara exchanged wide-eyed looks at Sasori's coldness. After a few minutes of the duo fussing over Sakura's hair and other last-minute details, the final call for models to line up echoed through the room.

"You'll be perfect, My-chan. It's like dancing only more boring…. And you'll be okay with the lights and the crowd and stuff, right? Right. Good luck, yeah," Deidara said in one breath before he went to kiss her forehead and then remembered that he had just applied her make-up. So he opted for kissing the back of her hand and giving her a wink.

"What the moron said. And remember to smile at the judges. That's your biggest weapon," Sasori added, patting her hand. So, wide-eyed with excitement, Sakura followed after the other girls filing out of the room. She chanced one last glance back at her friends and witnessed Sasori collapsing into the chair she had occupied while Deidara frantically fanned him with his hands.

They were arranged by the first name of the designer so Sakura was close to the end. The girls she was wedged between were both stick-thin, probably professional models with an agency. Their poreless skin and haughty glances were a little unnerving. More than once, Sakura felt their stares and she wondered if maybe Deidara had attached her eyelashes to her eyebrow or something. But she resisted the urge to touch her face at the risk of messing up Deidara's work and giving him an aneurysm in the process. As the line before her grew shorter, Sakura clenched and unclenched her hands. She had known that there would be a crowd. Deidara had explained that the annual fashion show at KU was popular with both students and prospective employers scouting out talent. Still, the sheer volume of the cheers and claps from the crowd was a little more than unnerving. As the girl directly in front of her slipped past the curtain, Sakura had to remind herself to continue breathing.

"Sakura," someone said from behind her. When Sakura turned, Konan was nudging past the other girls.

"Konan-senpai! What are you doing here?" Sakura gasped. Konan was still wearing her clay-smeared smock over her blouse and jeans, clearly fresh from her studio. As if reading her thoughts, Konan waved off her concerns.

"I heard rumors that a high school girl was modeling for that baka-duo so I had a feeling it was you. I know you're going on soon so I just needed to tell you something," Konan quickly said as she took Sakura's hands. Looking her straight in the eyes, Konan gave her something that looked like a smile.

"Don't look at the judges until you get to the end. It'll make you nervous. Instead, there's a surprise for you in the crowd. Focus on that," Konan instructed as a man with a clipboard waved Sakura forward. So, reluctantly Sakura mouthed the word 'thanks' to Konan and took a deep breath before she walked past the curtain and onto the runway.

"Here we have our next model, Haruno Sakura modeling Deidara and Sasori's work. You'll remember that they were the 3rd place winners last year with their bold designs," a loud voice boomed through the huge room. Sakura began walking down the runway in steady strides that Sasori had spent hours trying to teach her. Remembering Konan's words, she averted her eyes from the judges' table and instead looked out into the sea of faces. It didn't take more than a few seconds to locate a face that was so familiar to her.

Well, two faces.

Itachi was sitting close to the front of the audience, his eyes wide. A second later Sakura also recognized Kisame sitting to his left with his jaw hanging slack as he stared at her. Her eyes met Itachi's and his mouth curled up in her favorite smile.

So that was what Konan had meant.

The look of sheer amazement on his face filled her with a glowing pride that helped drown out the loud techno music blaring from speakers and the blinding flashes from cameras. She confidently strode all the way to the end of the catwalk before she put her hand on her hip and struck a pose. A collective noise that sounded like "ooh" rose from the audience as she finally looked over at the judges' table and flashed a bright smile. The judges promptly began speaking to each other in hushed tones and scribbling notes on their clipboards. After a few seconds, Sakura turned on her heel and began the trip back up the runway. And even though they weren't technically allowed to, Sasori and Deidara's heads were peeking out past the very edge of the curtain. As soon as she slipped backstage, Deidara promptly grabbed her hands and twirled her around in an excited little jig.

"You were amazing," Sasori told her as he patted her head. Deidara nodded vigorously, looking ready to explode from excitement.

"We should head back to the dressing room to wait for the results," Sasori said, glancing back at the line of girls still waiting to go out on the stage. So with Deidara holding her left hand and Sasori holding her right, they traveled back to the dressing room where the other models were all sitting (or standing if their outfits didn't permit) with nearly identical looks of boredom. It was the designers who were clustered in groups, nervously gnawing on food or jiggling their legs. When Deidara and Sasori floated into the room with Sakura, laughing and talking, they were met with a dozen blank stares of hatred and confusion.

"Bunch of crybabies. C'mon, let's sit, My-chan. You want to take off your shoes, yeah?" Deidara chattered as he pushed her into the stool she had occupied earlier. Sakura wiggled her feet and then shook her head.

"These are actually kind of comfortable," Sakura admitted. But when she felt Sasori and Deidara looking at each other with excitement, she held up a hand.

"But I'm not keeping them. Or this dress. Or anything else. Please take it all back," she firmly said. They both deflated like balloons stuck with needles. Giggling a little at their forlorn expressions, Sakura looked around the room and remembered that she had brought her earring with her. She considered getting up, but moving around in small spaces with her dress was probably not a wise decision. Sensing her dilemma, Sasori followed her line of vision.

"This?" he asked, standing to retrieve her bag.

"Thank you," she said as she opened it to retrieve the small box she had gotten a couple weeks earlier. Deidara, who had been busy sneaking coffee and food out of the reception area, rejoined them just as Sakura opened the box to reveal the earring she had gotten for her birthday from them.

"Um… so I was wondering if maybe… as a celebration… you guys could… help me pierce my ear?" Sakura quietly said, embarrassed by Deidara and Sasori's stares. Deidara, who was balancing a cup of coffee in each hand and holding a donut in his mouth suddenly began tearing up.

"Ahkura-ahn, err oo ooooo, eh!" Deidara howled through the sweet pastry wedged between his lips. Sakura slowly turned to Sasori who simply looked at his friend with a bored expression.

"He said, 'Sakura-chan, you're too cute… yeah'," Sasori translated. Sakura covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her laugh. Deidara scowled at her as he looked around for a place to put the coffee. But finding all the spaces occupied, he shoved a cup each at Sakura and Sasori and took a giant chomp out of the donut before taking it out of his mouth with newly freed hands.

"I risk my life to get you two peons food and this is the thanks I get, yeah?" Deidara sniffed before he took another huge bite out of his treat. At this, Sakura looked down at her coffee and then at Deidara with a frown of her own. Though on her, it was more of a pout.

"Food? You only got food for yourself, Deidara-san," she pointed out. Sasori leaned over her shoulder to fix Deidara with an accusatory stare.

"Yeah, Deidara-san. Where's our food? Coffee isn't food," Sasori demanded in monotone. Grumbling under his breath, Deidara shoved the rest of the donut into his mouth. Munching furiously, he glanced around to make sure no one was watching before he reached into the pockets of his jacket and began pulling out an impossible amount of muffins and fruit along with a cheese Danish that had managed to avoid being mashed between two apples. He dumped all the food on top of his cosmetics case and then gave them a proud sneer.

"Happy?" he said, clearly demanding some sort of praise.

"Holy crap. I'm friends with Mary Poppins," Sasori remarked, nudging one of the muffins with his finger like it was secretly a bomb.

"Ew. Pocket-Danish," Sakura added, pointing at a piece of lint that had stuck to the sticky pastry.

"Fine! Ungrateful jerks, yeah. I'll eat them all myself!" Deidara snapped, snatching the Danish and cramming it into his mouth.

"Ahheeweh, wha wuh oo dawwin abauw?" Deidara suddenly asked before he gulped down a mouthful of pastry. Again, Sakura looked at Sasori.

"I believe he said, 'Oh my, is it alright that I'm in love with Kisame?'" Sasori stated with a completely straight face. When Deidara glowered at him while peeling a banana, Sasori sighed.

"He asked what we were talking about," Sasori amended and Sakura held up the box again. She pointed to her left ear and Deidara's entire face lit up.

"Of course we will! Hey, Sasori, we still got that piercing gun around, yeah?" Deidara asked as he began digging around his equipment. Sasori didn't even make an effort to look like he was going to help. He simply put his hands on his hips and shrugged as he watched Deidara scrambled around. A few minutes later, Deidara emerged from the mess while holding a blue gun like a trophy.

"Found it!" he happily proclaimed, only to find that Sakura and Sasori were busy playing a game on her phone.

"Hey! Don't forget me in less than 5 minutes, yeah!" Deidara complained. It was only then that Sakura and Sasori looked up at him with identical frowns.

"You made us lose, Deidara-san," Sakura said with another pout.

"Yeah, Deidara-san. We hit a bomb and you killed us, Deidara-san," Sasori chimed in.

"Whatever. Grab some alcohol will you?" Deidara sighed as he began assembling the proper parts for the gun. He took the cuff from Sakura's box and examined the part that would go into her ear before he chose a size for the tip and attached it to the machine. Meanwhile, Sasori busied himself soaking cotton pads in rubbing alcohol. When Deidara held out his hand, Sasori handed over the germ-free fabric and watched intently as Deidara began sterilizing everything.

"You missed that part, Deidara. What if it has tetanus in it and Sakura-chan's ear turns black and falls off because of an infection?" Sasori nagged as Deidara began furiously scrubbing at it for fear of Sakura only having one ear.

"Uh just to let you know, I've had my tetanus shot…" Sakura piped up when Deidara began madly cleaning as if her life depended on it. They both stopped scrubbing and nagging at one another to stare at her.

"Anyway, we should get this over with before they-" Sakura was interrupted by a loud voice blaring over the speakers.

"And with that, the last model has finished her walk. Now the judges will take a few minutes to choose the winner of this year's Konoha U Fashion Show!"

"…announce the winning team," she finished with a sheepish grin. Deidara laughed as he reached out to pat her back. He tossed the alcohol-soaked cloth into the trash and held out the gun for her to see.

"This part is the part that actually pierces. It doesn't hurt that much, yeah. I've done most of Sasori's, yeah," Deidara explained. While the blond spoke, Sasori snuck up behind Sakura and pressed an ice cube to her left ear. She jumped, automatically flinching away from the cold.

"It's to numb the area a little," Sasori explained when Sakura looked at him like he was crazy.

A few minutes later, when the PA system crackled back to life, a few things happened:

First, the announcer cleared his throat and then said, "And the judges have come to a unanimous decision. First place for this year's designer and cosmetology team goes to the pair of Sasori and Deidara!"

Second, a very tall man with blue hair named Hoshigaki Kisame busted into the dressing room with a victorious roar. Behind him, Uchiha Itachi followed with a bouquet of white calla lilies cradled in his arms.

Third, everyone turned to stare as they watched Deidara easily wielding a bright blue gun.

"YOU! YOU SERIOUSLY DID IT, KITTEN?" Kisame shouted as he shoved Deidara out of the way to get a better look at her ear.

"Yeah! I thought it would hurt but I barely felt it!" Sakura cheerfully replied as she tilted her head to show off the silver cuff fastened to the cartilage of her left ear. Sasori had already helped her put in the matching skull stud before attaching the chain to both. When she moved her head to look at Deidara, the jewelry glittered in the light. As Kisame stood gaping and Sakura sat calmly talking, Itachi quietly stalked over and lifted Deidara by the back of his shirt.

"Ah, Itachi-san! You really did cut your hair!" Sakura exclaimed when she noticed him. Itachi took a moment to hand over her flowers. She flushed with pleasure as she buried her nose into the fragrant blooms and lightly touched the silky petals.

"Thank you. These are beautiful," she quietly said, looking up at him through her thick, dark eyelashes. She rose to her feet to press a light kiss to his mouth and for a moment, it looked like he had forgotten his anger. But when Deidara made the mistake of breathing too loudly, Itachi remembered his friend still dangling from his hand.

"I thought we discussed this, Deidara," Itachi said in a quiet yet incredibly terrifying voice. Blanching, Deidara pointed a shaking finger at Sakura.

"But My-chan was the one that suggested it, yeah!" Deidara insisted. Sakura looked up from her flowers, just then noticing Deidara's look of utter terror and the dark aura emanating from Itachi.

"I was the one that asked them to, Itachi-san. Why? Do you not like it? I'll take it out if you think it's ugly," Sakura said, reaching out to take Itachi's free hand. At the look on her face, Itachi let out a long sigh and then released Deidara's shirt. When he smiled helplessly and pulled her into his arms, Deidara and Kisame shook their heads, clicking their tongues like old women.

"Man, Itachi is really powerless against the missus," Kisame remarked, holding up an imaginary monocle.

"I will murder you both if you don't stop talking right now," Itachi warned them though his eyes never left Sakura. As Sakura laughed at her friends' horrified expressions, one of the members of the stage crew popped her head in to let them know that they wanted to take pictures of the winning team onstage.

Dinner celebrations were a little ridiculous. Despite their protests and their attempts at bribery, Sakura refused to accept the dress from Deidara and Sasori. Instead, she had settled on keeping the bracelet, tying it to the strap of her handbag like a good luck charm. After photos and answering some questions for the school paper (and then waiting for Sasori and Deidara to stop schmoozing), Sakura changed into her clothes and then they all headed to a fancy sushi restaurant. Thanks to the cash prize included with their victory, Sasori and Deidara graciously treated all to some of the best high-class fish the restaurant had to offer. Kisame and Deidara indulged in a little too much sake and began recounting all their embarrassing experiences from high school, oblivious to the fact that Sasori would forever lord this information over them for the rest of their lives.

But even though everyone was so happy and Itachi was right next to her, Sakura couldn't help but feel a little sluggish. Her limbs were a little slow to respond and there was a faint pounding in the back of her head that just wouldn't go away. As she sipped at her tea, Sakura felt Itachi slip his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. He leaned in close and pressed his forehead to hers.

"You don't have a fever. Are you feeling alright?" he asked just by her ear. Sakura surfaced from her daze to give him a smile.

"Yes. I'm fine," she replied. The look he gave her let him know that he was not at all convinced. But Itachi nodded and let her lean against his arm for the rest of the night.

It was only around midnight that everyone managed to leave the restaurant. Deidara threw his arm over Sasori, partly from the sake and partly from high spirits. Sasori was in a good enough mood not to complain. Instead, he bumped his fist against Deidara's as they walked down the street. A little behind, Sakura and Itachi followed, their joined hands falling naturally between them. Kisame had gone home an hour earlier; he had work in the morning and it was never a good idea to work with dolphins with a hangover.

"Hey! We should go to the beach, yeah!" Deidara suddenly suggested, looking back. Sakura raised an eyebrow at her tipsy friend while Itachi simply rolled his eyes. Sasori suddenly slipped out from under Deidara, leaving him to fall flat on his face in the middle of the street. Taking Sakura's hand in his own, Sasori looked her directly in the eyes.

"If Itachi dies in a horrible accident, let's get married," Sasori declared. Not giving her time to react, Sasori grabbed Deidara's arm and began dragging him through the street, ignoring Deidara's feeble protests. Sakura stood frozen in place as she watched her two rather odd friends disappear down the street.

"Um… should I feel scared by that?" Itachi asked after a while.

"It's Sasori-san. I'm always a little scared by him," Sakura sighed in response as they began the walk back to the university where Itachi's car was parked.

* * *

The rest of the week went by quickly. Now it was all five of them together on the morning run before they all headed to the dance studio to continue working on the new choreography and to watch Deidara and Kisame consume unbelievable amounts of food. Before Sakura knew it, it was already Monday morning and she was already on the way to school. It was only when she neared the school's front gates that she remembered just what had changed.

"Good morning, Kaichou!" someone called out. Sakura's head automatically swiveled to look for Neji's imposing figure parting the crowd. But she reminded herself that he had already graduated. In fact, the unfamiliar junior was addressing her with a friendly sparkle in his gaze.

"Ah… morning," she replied before continuing on her way. When she stood at the lockers to change her shoes, someone grabbed her from behind in a tight hug.

"MORNING, KAICHOU-CHAN!" Naruto sang as he lifted her into the air.

"Put her down, moron," Sasuke interrupted as he bonked Naruto on top of the head. Naruto gently set Sakura down before he whirled around to snarl angrily at his best friend. Ignoring the commotion behind her, Sakura easily abandoned her friends and headed to the bulletin board where students were already gathered around to find out which class they had been placed into. When she recognized Sai standing there too, Sakura poked him in the shoulder.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan. Looks like you're in class 3-C with me," Sai greeted her with a smile.

"Thanks, Sai. I guess I'll see you later," she replied, already turning to walk away.

"But Sakura-chan! Let's go check our names together!" Naruto called out from behind her. She waved but didn't look back.

"I need to go make a speech at the freshman orientation now. I'll catch up with you later," Sakura told him as she hurried off to the auditorium. As she crossed the courtyard, she was caught in a barrage of cherry blossoms fluttering down from the tall branches. Pulling the door to the auditorium open, she poked her head inside and found that the principal was still speaking. One of the teachers caught sight of her and waved her in. Bowing apologetically, she slipped into the room. She began brushing petals out of hair and off her uniform as she quietly stole her way over to the teachers.

"Cutting it a little close, aren't we, Kaichou?" Hatake Kakashi remarked as she ran her fingers through her hair, searching for stray flower petals. She glanced up at him with a frown.

"Says the teacher who was late every day for homeroom last year," she sniffed in response and she thought she heard him chuckle. Her speech was short and about a third of the students probably slept right through it. But the polite scatter of applause after she finished was surprising. After shaking hands with some teachers and bowing, she hurried across the courtyard to get to class. When she stepped into her classroom, she found that most seats had been taken already.

"Ah, Sakura-chan, you're over here!" Hinata called, waving from the back of the room. To her left sat Sai who also waved rather happily at her. She recognized most of the other people, old classmates from other grades, maybe friends of friends. A few of them seemed to recognize her too because they nodded at her as she passed. Just as she took her seat, Naruto came flying into the room with a piece of bread wedged firmly into his mouth.

"Naruto, I just saw you this morning. Why are you almost late?" Sakura asked as Naruto grinned and collapsed into the seat beside Hinata's.

"Well I got hungry so I ran to the convenience store to buy some bread. Want some?" Naruto explained, laughing as he opened up a plastic bag stuffed with bread.

"So you're as stupid as you are dickless," Sai noted.

"You- you! Take that back!" Naruto immediately roared, shooting nervous glances at his girlfriend. Hinata and Sakura were too busy laughing at Naruto's red face to really listen to anything else he had to say.

Classes ended relatively quickly. Since it was the first day of the new school year, there really wasn't too much homework. But for some reason, when Sakura lifted her bag onto her shoulder, it felt oddly heavy. Or maybe it was her arm that was feeling weak. She couldn't quite tell. Shaking off the feeling, she made her way to the student council room, half-expecting it to be unlocked. But when she turned the corner, she found Moegi and Udon standing by the door, waiting. She looked down at her key ring, suddenly remembering that now that Neji was gone, she was the only one with access to the room.

"Kaichou! It's good to see you!" Moegi cheered when she heard the jingle of the keys hitting each other.

"Yeah. It's good to see you too. How's it feel to be juniors?" Sakura replied as she opened the door and stepped into the office. On impulse, she walked up to the desk that was now hers and opened up the top right drawer. The stamps that read 'REJECTED' were all still there along with a red ink pad. A present from the previous president. Sakura couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"Kaichou?" Udon cautiously asked.

"I guess that really is me," Sakura sighed with a little giggle.

Precisely two days after the spring semester started, her phone rang. She was sitting at home, curled up on the sofa doing homework when it began buzzing. When she checked the caller ID, it was the exact same number as the one she had seen just a week before. She stared blankly at it before she shoved it under one of the cushions and tried to ignore it.

From then on, every day, once a day, there came a call.

She started to flinch each time she heard any phone ring. It happened once at practice during a water break. Everyone was sitting on the floor, watching with horror as Kisame and Deidara tried to demonstrate just how many marshmallows they could fit in their mouths. Sasori leaned over towards her to whisper, "They look like fat bunnies," before he stood to grab another bottle of water, kicking Deidara over on the way. As she sat giggling, her phone buzzed and she let out a loud squeak of alarm, throwing it up in the air. Itachi, who was sitting to her left, easily reached out to catch it mid-air. Eyes wide, she turned her head to look at him.

"How long has this been going on?" Itachi asked. The way his dark eyes narrowed on her was a little frightening.

"Uh… a couple weeks, I guess," she replied in a quiet voice.

"I thought we agreed that you would tell me if he called again," Itachi reminded her as he looked down at her phone which was still ringing. When he hit the 'answer' button, Sakura lunged forward.

"No! Don't pick that up!" she hissed, grabbing at her phone. But Itachi easily kept the phone out of reach as he put the phone on speaker.

"Hello? Hello? Sakura-chan? I'm so glad you picked up. This is dad."

The voice pierced a million knives into her. The strength went straight out of her arms, leaving them to flop uselessly to her sides.

"Listen, I talked to your mom and I know she said you didn't want to talk to me ever again, but I-"

"I'm sorry. Sakura-san's a little busy at the moment. Please do us a favor and never call again," Itachi interrupted before he ended the call. There was an odd moment of silence, Sakura staring blankly at the floor and everyone else watching her with concern.

"Itachi… you're a dick," Kisame finally said before he scooted over to put his arms around Sakura in a big hug. She sagged against him, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Yeah, man. Pull yourself together," Deidara muttered as he took Sakura's hands in his and squeezed them tightly. Even Sasori shook his head disapprovingly at Itachi as he slowly patted the top of Sakura's head as she let out a sob.

Sakura didn't go to practice the day after. Or the day after that. She didn't go to school either. Instead, she was curled up in her bed, tightly hugging the large white bunny Deidara had gotten her for Christmas. She had pulled on the kitten sweatshirt from Kisame and her favorite green monkey-print pajama pants. The TV was on in her room but she wasn't watching it. She rose a few times to eat, but food was sand in her mouth, tasteless and unappetizing. Her phone rang again and again as people wondered where she was so she eventually stopped looking at it every time it made a sound. It sat uselessly on her nightstand, buzzing and ringing to no avail.

The third day of her self-imposed isolation, the doorbell rang. When there was no response, there were loud knocks on the door, an impatient fist abusing wood. More out of irritation than the desire to see anyone, Sakura stood, still holding onto the large bunny, and dragged her feet on the way to the door. She unlocked the door and left the chain in place before she slowly cracked it open.

"Sakura-san. You're okay," Itachi breathed with visible relief when she saw his face. She quickly averted her eyes, instead focusing on his ear.

"Please go home. I want to be alone," Sakura sighed as she went to shut the door on his face. But he was always too quick for her, wedging his foot in the door. Her eyes darted from his foot and up to his face a few times before she reluctantly undid the chain and let him inside, tossing the stuffed bunny on the sofa as she walked past. She drifted to the kitchen to pour him some juice as he stood taking off his shoes and hanging his jacket on the coatrack by the door. When she twisted the cap off the carton, his hand caught hers, stopping her.

"Would you look at me please?" he pleaded. Taking a deep breath, Sakura set the carton down and turned to him. The edge of the counter pressed against her back as she tilted her head to look up at him. His fingers curled around her arms, holding her there like she might try to run off at any moment.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have forced you to listen to that the other day," Itachi said.

"You don't have to apologize, Itachi-san. I wasn't mad at you," she replied in a tired voice. Itachi grabbed her chin a surprisingly rough movement and forced her to look back up at him. His eyes widened as his hand moved, sliding up to cup her cheek and then touch her forehead.

"Wow. This is an amazing fever. Have you been taking any medicine?" he inquired. She suddenly realized that his hand felt amazingly cool against her skin. A sigh of relief left her when his other hand rose to touch her other cheek.

"Alright. We should get you to bed," Itachi sighed. She didn't pay much attention to his words. It was more of a soft murmur that washed over her. He paused and then looked down at her, brushing her hair out of her eyes. He said something else before the floor tilted and he was carrying her in his arms. Too comfortable to protest, she laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Hey, don't fall asleep with a man in your house," she heard him sigh as he opened the door to her bedroom and deposited her on the bed. The curtains were pulled wide open, letting sunlight spill into the room. She cracked open her eyes to find Itachi standing over her with a strange expression.

"But it's okay if it's you, Itachi-san. You'll protect me, right?" Sakura murmured in response as she grabbed the edge of a blanket and rolled herself into it. She thought she heard him laugh as she drifted into an easy sleep.

* * *

Thanks to all of you readers and reviewers! Be sure to leave me your thoughts and comments in reviews.


	15. Spice

I've received either reviews from several different people or the same anon reviewing under different names. Either way, this person/these people seemed to have an issue with Sakura and Itachi continuing to use 'san'. So I'm here to explain that you guys have pretty much been asking about exactly what I was writing about. Congrats? That will be addressed in this chapter so please don't worry.

Also, I've received a few messages from people complaining that I'm trying to "sound cool" by using Japanese. Although I understand where these individuals are coming from, I'm here to tell everyone that I actually speak the language so I'm not just throwing random terms out there.

Anyway, I apologize for the rants but this has been bothering me for a few days. In lighter news, I'd like to announce that those wishing for fluff will be granted with such.

Enjoy!

* * *

Fancy Footwork

Chapter 15: Spice

"37.6 degrees," Itachi read with a grim expression. Sakura hugged the covers to her chest as she watched him set the thermometer on the nightstand. He sat on the edge of the bed while he examined the instructions on the bottle of cold medicine he had picked up at the nearby pharmacy. After a moment, he twisted the lid off and shook two white pills into his palm.

"It says to take 2 of these capsules every six hours," he informed her as he deposited the medicine in her hand. He turned to retrieve to the glass of water he had placed on the nightstand earlier. He even went through the trouble of holding the cup up to her mouth to help her drink.

"Try to get some sleep, Sakura-san," Itachi said as he pushed a few stray locks of hair out of her face. When his fingertips brushed her skin, his expression tightened with concern again. She wanted to ask him not to worry, to smile for her. But her throat felt like it was made from sandpaper and her head felt impossibly heavy. Itachi stroked her head a couple times before patted her hand and stood. Even if she had wanted to resist, her entire body was so heavy and worn out that all she really could do was sleep.

"38.6 degrees. It's going up," he said, rousing her from a heavy sleep. His voice sounded thick, far away. When his mouth moved again, she could barely make out to the words past the deafening pounding in her ears. Her whole body ached and the ceiling spun as she tried to look up properly. With the whole world tilted on an angle, Sakura reached out to grasp the sleeve of Itachi's shirt. As she took deep breaths, the world slowly righted itself though the nagging ache in her temples refused to lessen. Itachi leaned over to press his forehead to hers and she stared at his long eyelashes wonderingly. They were probably longer than hers. He said something again before his lips brushed her left temple.

The next time she woke, her head seemed less likely to explode. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips. The entire inside of her mouth tasted like sand. Squinting against the sunlight touching the foot of her bed, Sakura rolled onto her side. Fighting against her still-aching body, Sakura forced herself to sit up. She took a few careful breaths through her mouth before she slid out from under the sheets and stood. Cold immediately assaulted her body with startling brutality. Shivering furiously, she half-ran to the bathroom. Even the toilet seat felt intolerably icy against her feverish skin. She washed her hands sluggishly before she poked her head out of the bathroom. The apartment was silent except for the sound of the refrigerator humming. When she glanced at the foyer, she saw that Itachi's shoes were still lined up right beside hers.

"Itachi-san?" she called, her voice barely rising above a raspy whisper as she walked through the apartment. When she peered into the living room, she saw black clashing against the light sofa. Taking a few steps closer, she saw that it was Itachi sitting on the sofa, a book still open in his lap. He had glasses on, something she had never seen before. She stood watching him slumber peacefully for a minute before she shuffled to the linen closet and pulled out a blanket. Trying her best not to wake him, she carefully moved his book to the coffee table and draped the blanket over him. She settled on the opposite end of the couch, drawing her knees up to her chest. Placing her head on top of her knee, she watched Itachi's peaceful expression as he took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Yeah, Deidara. I'm not going to make it today."

Sakura blinked a few times, bewildered. She lifted her head to find that she was curled up on the sofa, the blanket now lying on top of her. When she reached out, she felt that the sofa was still warm beside her from where Itachi had been. The floorboards in the hallway creaked as Itachi walked past, his cell phone held up to his ear.

"Her fever hasn't gotten any better. No," Itachi said. Sakura put her head back down, snuggling against the soft blanket. Her eyes slid shut as she listened to the steady tick of the clock hanging above the doorway.

"That's fine. Alright," Itachi said, sliding his phone shut. His feet padded across the floor. She could hear him set his phone down on the coffee table before his breath brushed against the top of her ear. His cool palm pressed against her forehead for a moment. There was a pause before she felt his arms slide beneath her and easily lift her up. Sakura pretended to still be sleeping as he carried her all the way back to her bedroom. When he gently laid her down on her bed, she was surprised by how cold her sheets felt against her skin. She must have drifted off to sleep because the next thing she was aware of was the drip of water. Something sloshed before she felt a damp cloth settle over her forehead.

"Sakura-san," Itachi whispered into her ear. Sakura willed her eyes to open and she found Itachi sitting on the edge of the bed again. He still had his glasses on.

"Do you want to try eating something? I made some okayu*," Itachi softly said. Sakura shook her head, still tasting sand in her mouth. He let out a weary sigh before he looped his arm around her waist and helped her sit up. When he handed her a glass of water, her fingers felt limp, nearly dropping the cup. He said something to her that she couldn't quite understand through the haze fogging her mind. She could see the way his lips moved as he spoke but she just stared, unable to make out individual words. Finally, he lifted a pill to her mouth and she obediently parted her lips to let him drop it onto her tongue and then another. His hand moved to the back of her head as he lifted the glass to her lips and tilted it. The cool water that washed down her throat felt like a blessing. His fingers gently wiped the corner of her mouth before he helped her lay back down. As he took the empty glass and moved to stand, her fingers grabbed onto the back of his shirt.

His mouth moved as he spoke, pulling up into a smile. When her hold refused to loosen, he sat back down on the bed. The sound of his voice, indistinct but warm washed over her as he stroked her hair, lulling and pulling her back to sleep.

Her dreams were a tangled mess. Faint glimpses of a face flashed past. She recognized the thin lips, the slightly wavy black hair. There was a mole on his left cheek, right by his mouth. His thick eyebrows rose when he laughed and his hands, the hands she had always loved so dearly, were always moving animatedly as he spoke. But the images rushed away as she reached out, just barely grazing them with her fingertips. A strangled noise of frustration rose in her throat as she called out to him. Called and called until her voice grew hoarse.

"Dad," Sakura gasped as her eyes snapped open. She slowly wiped at her face with her sleeve as she felt tears trickling down her cheeks. There was a soft numbness over everything as she tried to orient herself. It took a minute to remember that she was in her room, that she was sick. The inside of her mouth tasted dull and numb, like she had been eating cotton. There was the clang of metal from down the hall that she recognized as a lid knocking against the side of a pot. She peeked past the curtains and found that Itachi's car was still parked underneath a streetlight. Itachi had cracked the window, leaving a warm breeze to seep into the room.

Sakura swallowed, trying to wet her parched throat. But when the raspy feeling didn't go away, she reluctantly pulled her legs out of the tangled sheets and got out of bed. The floorboards were cool against her bare feet as she slowly made her way down the hall.

"Are you hungry?" Itachi asked as she stumbled into the kitchen. She shook her head as she shuffled over to a cupboard to take down a cup and fill it with water. He leaned back against the counter to watch her greedily gulp down the refreshing drink. Something bubbled on the stove, releasing the soft fragrance of rice into the air that made her stomach gurgle pleadingly. Sakura coughed, trying to hide the noise as she set the cup in the sink. Itachi smiled but he didn't comment as he reached out to touch her forehead.

"Your fever's gone down quite a bit. How are you feeling?"

Sakura wrinkled her nose as she tugged at her wrinkled clothes.

"Gross. I kind of want to take a shower," she admitted. After a moment, she blushed upon thinking about her own words. Taking a shower in the upstairs bathroom of the dance studio was very different from taking a shower while it was just her and her boyfriend.

"Alright. Be sure to dry your hair when you're done. I'll have dinner ready when you're finished," Itachi calmly replied. She mentally berated herself as she shuffled to her bedroom to grab a clean change of clothes. As she walked down the hall, she caught a glimpse of Itachi sitting on the couch with a book. Her blush rose to the surface of her cheeks again and she hurried along.

A warm shower did wonders for her. As she stood washing the sweat out of her hair, the sweet scent of strawberries rose in the air. Steam filled the bathroom as she shut off the water and ran her fingers through her short bob. Despite his less-than pleasant demeanor, Hidan was obviously skilled. No matter which way she ruffled her hair, it always managed to look stylish. Sakura walked out of the bathroom, dutifully rubbing her hair with a towel. She tossed the towel onto the washing machine before she peered into the kitchen. Itachi was carrying a white bowl into the adjoining dining room. The steam that wafted off it made her mouth water.

"I'm sorry to bother you. I'll do the dishes later," she said as she sat at the wooden table. Itachi gave her a look as he pushed the warm bowl of rice porridge towards her.

"Just eat, Sakura-san," Itachi sighed. He propped his chin up in his hand as he watched her eat. The quiet scrape of her spoon against the bowl broke the silence. He poured her a glass of water, pushing it closer to her hand.

"Is it good?" he asked. Sakura set down her spoon to look up at him.

"It is but why are you still here, Itachi-san? I thought you had classes," Sakura responded, turning to look at the calendar hanging on the wall.

"It's Saturday. And I don't have classes on Fridays. It sounds like you want me to leave," Itachi pointed out. At this, her eyes grew wide as she shook her head. Itachi chuckled.

"I'm teasing you. You should finish up your dinner and take your medicine."

After finishing her food and taking the pills, Sakura climbed back into bed. She lay patiently as Itachi took her temperature. The furrow in his forehead that she had worried would grow permanent finally smoothed out as he read the numbers.

"37.5 degrees. How are you feeling?" Itachi said, touching her cheek with the back of his hand just to make sure.

"Much better," she replied and he let out a sigh of relief.

"I have dinner plans with my uncle. Are you going to be alright?" His tone made it perfectly clear that he would much rather stay with her but she nodded. She had eaten up enough of Itachi's time already.

"Thank you, Itachi-san," she tiredly said. When he touched his lips to her forehead, Sakura frowned at him. He looked puzzled until she shyly raised her finger to point at her mouth. The look he gave her in reaction made her flush. But he didn't laugh at her. Instead, he took her face in his hands and leaned in. He was unsurprisingly gentle that day too, holding her carefully and his lips almost chastely matching hers.

"Get some rest. I'll be by to check on you in the morning," Itachi said, already moving away from her. Gathering up what little strength was left in her arms, Sakura grabbed onto the front of his shirt to drag him back down. As they stared at each other, Itachi's eyes round with surprise and Sakura's wide with horror at what she had unthinkingly done. Itachi raised an eyebrow at her, silently awaiting the excuse she was fumbling for. Feeling her face grow hotter and hotter, Sakura slowly loosened her fingers.

"Um well I was just thinking we haven't had much skinship*… and…." Her words slowly drifted off as she watched the corner of Itachi's mouth curl up into a smile.

"And?" he prompted in a low voice that promptly sent her heart speeding into a frantic rhythm that threatened to explode straight out of her chest. Biting her lower lip, Sakura carefully reached out to the front of his shirt again and carefully grasped the white fabric with just one hand.

"Can I… can I hug you?" she softly asked, looking down, anywhere away from the absolutely criminal expression on his face. A startled laugh escaped Itachi's mouth. Hurt by his reaction, Sakura let her eyes fly to Itachi's face. But the look he wore wasn't cruel nor was it mocking.

"Why are you laughing at me?" she demanded, growing a little annoyed. It had taken a lot of courage to even be able to ask something like that in the first place. Lips jutting out in a pout, Sakura huffed and released him completely.

"Sakura," Itachi said in a low voice. Something about his tone, a tone she had never heard before, made the back of her neck begin to feel uncomfortably hot in a way that had nothing to do with her slight fever. The warmth of his palms on her cheeks suddenly felt a million times hotter.

"No, I just felt like we don't cuddle or hug like other couples do," she amended nervously, trying to inch back. Her shoulders bumped the headboard and she nervously bit her lower lip, eyes darting to Itachi's face hovering dangerously close to hers. Her disjointed attempts at words were cut off as Itachi suddenly closed the little distance between them. The unexpectedly rough brush of his tongue over her lips made her gasp. And she thought she felt him chuckle a little before his tongue swept over hers. Her arms flopped down uselessly like overcooked noodles. When Itachi did finally pull away, Sakura struggled to catch her breath. Chest heaving, she peered up at him through her eyelashes. Itachi was breathing a little too quickly as well as he sat up straight. Unable to tear herself away from his eyes, Sakura struggled to remind herself how to breathe properly.

"That's not fair, Itachi-san," she managed to say after a while. Itachi looked at her questioningly. Using every bit of her willpower to tell herself not to turn scarlet, Sakura sat up.

"That wasn't a hug," Sakura pointed out.

* * *

"Oh man. Did she really say that, yeah?" Deidara groaned, leaning heavily on the bar. Itachi sat with his elbows on the counter, rubbing his face vigorously with his hands. To Deidara's left sat Kisame who was slurping ginger ale through a straw.

"It was her face, Deidara. The face she made. I felt like some awful, lecherous old man," Itachi sighed, his tongue loose from the three beers he had tossed back. He thought back to the rosy flush of her cheeks, her damp hair splaying across the white pillow. The scent of her fruity shampoo flooding his nose forced him to work so very hard to restrain the urge to bury his nose into her hair. She was so small and trusting and the little noise she had made in the back of her throat –

"Kya, Itachi-san, not there," Kisame yelped in falsetto.

"It's okay, Sakura-san. I'll make you feel good," Deidara said in a very deep voice. But as the two sat chortling into their drinks, Deidara suddenly set his glass down and looked over at his rather morose friend.

"Wait. Do you call each other…" Deidara trailed off, cringing. At this, Itachi signaled the bartender for another drink and then raised his eyebrows at Deidara, clearly not comprehending the question.

"Kya, Itachi-san," Kisame repeated, peering at Itachi from over Deidara's shoulder to flutter his eyelashes.

"Go fall in a ditch, Kisame," Itachi flatly said. Kisame seemed unperturbed and shrugged.

"Don't tell me you still call My-chan 'Sakura-san'. No wonder you feel like an old pervert, yeah. You sound like one!" Deidara sighed, rolling his eyes. He gulped down the rest of his scotch and smacked the glass onto the bar. The remaining cubes of ice inside tinkled merrily while they knocked against each other. When the bartender slid Itachi another beer, Deidara banged his fist against the wooden counter.

"Listen, man. You've been going out for like- what? A billion years now?" Deidara asked.

"Almost four months," Itachi corrected.

"Same thing, yeah. Okay, four months. And you're still calling My-chan that? You're her boyfriend, not her mailman," Deidara criticized, clucking his tongue disapprovingly. When he shook his head to emphasize his point, his head lolled back and forth, giving the impression of a rather judgmental bobble head. Kisame frowned as he slid off his seat to take the open spot on Itachi's right.

"Actually, Deidara, unlike you and me, Itachi's not an asshole. His parents actually raised him to be a gentleman," Kisame pointed out.

"Are you saying I'm rude, yeah?" Deidara snapped, punctuating his accusation with a belch. The bartender shot Deidara a disapproving look before he resumed wiping glasses clean with a white towel. Itachi and Kisame exchanged exasperated glances.

"I am, idiot. And I'm pretty damn sure Sakura-chan's too embarrassed to try saying Itachi's name here. Hell, she still calls you Deidara-san," Kisame continued. Deidara squinted like seeing better would help him think better.

"You're right. She should be calling me 'Dei-nii' or something, yeah," Deidara agreed, sounding a little insulted. Kisame coughed loudly to mask his snicker.

"Anyway, Itachi, it's not like our little kitten's the only girl you've ever dated," Kisame said. At this, Deidara's head bobbed up. With both his friends pinning him with prying looks, Itachi sighed heavily and took a gulp of his beer.

"But she's so innocent and… and… cute. And… I don't know," Itachi grumbled, running his fingers through his hair.

"Itachi, shut up and relax. If I had an adorable girlfriend like My-chan asking for more skinship, I'd be doing a happy dance, not punishing myself. Don't worry, yeah," Deidara assured him. The effect of his words of wisdom were dampened somewhat when Deidara reached for his drink and missed a few times.

"But work on the name thing, Itachi. You sound like an Amish couple or something," Kisame added with a little grimace.

* * *

Sunday morning, Sakura was sitting on the sofa in a pair of light blue sweatpants and a t-shirt under a soft grey cardigan. A bowl with some traces of okayu lingering on the bottom sat on the coffee table next to a still-steaming mug of barley tea. The entire apartment was quiet except for the muted rumble of the washing machine and the occasional dry rustle as Sakura flipped a page of her book.

Around 10, there was a knock on her door. Polite. Just three moderate raps. She stood, wrapping the front of the cardigan around herself as she went to open the door. She left the chain in place ("Just in case of serial killers, rapists and door-to-door salesmen," Kisame and Deidara always warned her) before she peeked outside.

"You're looking a lot better," Itachi said as Sakura popped the chain free and swung the door open wider to let him inside. A little pink box from the nearby bakery hung from his right hand. He handed it over to her as he shut the door with his elbow and slipped out of his shoes.

"Um… I wish I could say the same for you, Itachi-san," she responded, eying the dark circles under his eyes. She thought she saw his mouth twitch oddly when she said his name. But dismissing such things as paranoia, Sakura peered into the box and found thick slices of buttery castella wrapped in a fancy plastic wrapper.

"I asked the girl who works there and she told me softer bread would be easier for you to digest," Itachi explained rather needlessly. Sakura beamed as she looked up at Itachi.

"Thank you. I love castella!" she said. She automatically rose on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss and he ducked his head to do the same. But when their faces drew closer together, Sakura hesitated for a moment, remembering the scalding feel of his tongue invading her mouth. Just the memory made it impossible for her to look at him without turning the color of a tomato. And because he was Uchiha Itachi, he seemed to read her mind perfectly.

"But I thought you were the one who wanted more skinship," he teased and Sakura scowled at him.

"I'm withholding skinship until you stop being so mean, Itachi-san," she replied.

There it was again. A little shift in his expression, his smile fading the tiniest bit.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. Itachi blinked a few times, as if he were waking from a short nap before he shook his head.

"Did you have breakfast yet? I can't eat this all by myself," she hurriedly said, trying to smooth over the awkward moment. As she hurried towards the kitchen, she felt oddly light-headed as the ceiling rushed past her eyes. When she realized what had happened, she found that her head was leaning against Itachi's chest. He had an arm hooked under each of hers. On his right foot rested the cake box, balancing rather precariously. Sakura looked down and found that her feet had slipped out from underneath her.

"Are you alright?" Itachi asked as he helped her stand back up. He bent over to retrieve the unharmed box before he rubbed his foot along the spot on the floor where she had nearly fallen.

"I was just a little dizzy for a minute," Sakura explained rather calmly. But as she began heading for the kitchen again, Itachi promptly locked his arm around her knees and lifted her up. She put her hand on his shoulder to steady herself as he carried her back to the living room and set her on the couch.

"A sick person should rest," he sighed when she looked up at him with a bewildered face colored bright red. He watched her for a moment before he took the blanket pushed off to the opposite end of the couch. With an easy flick of his wrist, he wrapped the blanket around her before he headed to the kitchen all by himself. A little dazed by Itachi's sudden impatience, Sakura complacently nestled into the blanket and closed her eyes for a moment.

The light scrape of a cup being placed on the coffee table was the next thing she heard. Her eyes fluttered open as she watched Itachi place a second cup down and then sit on the sofa next to her. Their gazes met and a slightly exasperated smile spread across his face.

"You're such a light sleeper," he remarked as he picked up one of the warm mugs and deposited it in her hands. The sweet fragrance of honey and lemon reached her nose. She took a careful sip and then hummed approvingly.

"How's your fever?" Itachi asked as he draped his arm over the back of the sofa. Sakura cheerfully took his left hand and pressed it to her forehead.

"Well you seem fine now. I was considering telling my parents you couldn't make it to dinner tonight," Itachi said. When she raised an eyebrow at him, Itachi shrugged.

"I thought you might be too tired," Itachi clarified. Sakura wrinkled her nose as she peered at him over the rim of her mug. But her response dissolved in the back of her throat as she heard a soft tap on the window. Itachi looked at her with curiosity as she handed the mug off to him and padded barefoot to the window. Misty rain was tapping against the panes. She pressed her fingertips to the glass and watched droplets race down on the other side. The dark asphalt outside was covered in a thin layer of rippling water. As she followed the wobbling trail of a single drop streaking down the window, Sakura sensed the blanket shift over her, settling to cover her arms too. Itachi rested his hands on her shoulders and she felt the light brush of his mouth on her right temple.

"Are you alright?" Itachi inquired and she somehow knew that he wasn't asking about her cold. Her head turned just the faintest bit to look at her phone sitting innocently on the arm of the sofa. When she leaned her head to the side to press her cheek against the back of his hand, her answer was clear. Or at the very least, it was clear enough for him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered against her hair as they watched the tears slide down the glass.

A few hours later, Sakura sat in Itachi's car, bundled up in a jacket over her cardigan over a long-sleeved shirt. Each yawn and each clearing of her throat drew his gaze until she groaned and then threw her arms up in the air.

"I had a cold, not SARS, Itachi-san," she sighed. Instead of laughing at her attempt at humor, Itachi kept his eyes locked firmly on the road.

"Is something bothering you, Itachi-san?" she queried. The rigid lines of his straight shoulders and his hands clamped onto the steering wheel at 10 and 2 were strange. She was used to him leaning back easily, left hand resting at the very top of the wheel while his right hand drummed leisurely on his thigh or even sneaking over to hold hers.

"No, I'm fine, Sakura…san," he replied, drawing out her name oddly. Confused but still a little too tired to badger him, Sakura closed her eyes and let her head fall back against the window. The brush of his hand touching her forehead as he moved her bangs out of her eyes woke her.

"I'm sorry to wake you. But you probably shouldn't sleep here. You can rest in the guest room upstairs," Itachi softly said. She ran her fingers through her hair once before she shook her head.

"No that's okay," she yawned as she popped the door open and hopped out of the car. When she made her way up the stone path and knocked on the front door, it almost immediately swung open.

"Good afternoon, Fugaku-san," Sakura greeted him and he nodded.

"Is that Sakura-chan? How are you feeling honey?" Mikoto called as she walked out of the kitchen while wiping her hands on her apron. Her smooth black hair fell into Sakura's face as she grabbed her in a warm hug.

"Itachi-kun mentioned that you weren't feeling well. Come to think of it, you're a little pale," Mikoto continued. She pressed her hand to Sakura's cheek.

"Well you feel fine. I'll make some tea. You just relax," the woman declared as she steered Sakura into the kitchen and plopped her down on one of the stools lined up at the island.

"But Mikoto-san, I can help. Besides, who'll make dessert?" Sakura weakly protested. Itachi sighed as he walked into the kitchen and seated himself on the stool to her right.

"Ignore her, mom," Itachi suggested. While Mikoto's back was turned, Sakura jabbed Itachi in the arm with her pointer finger. He shrugged unapologetically.

"I know poor Sasu-chan was worried sick about you missing school, Sakura-chan. I was going to send him to your place with soup if Itachi-kun hadn't called," Mikoto told her as she placed a tea bag in a cup and poured hot water over it. Smiling, she placed the mug down on the counter in front of Sakura.

"Sasuke-kun was worried?" Sakura repeated, raising an eyebrow at the prospect. Mikoto giggled as she opened up the lid of a pot bubbling away on the stove. The fragrance of beef stew rose into the air, making Sakura's stomach gurgle longingly. She glanced at Itachi and saw him smiling, having clearly heard. Mikoto perked up a second before the lock in the front door clicked.

"I'm home," Sasuke called from the foyer. He quietly greeted Fugaku sitting in the living room before he made his way down the hall.

"Kaa-san, do we have any ice packs in the freezer? That idiot Naruto ran over my hand," Sasuke groaned as he plopped his duffel bag down in the doorway and stumbled over to the sink. He paused to accept a kiss on the cheek from Mikoto before he went to wash his hands.

"I think there's one left. But don't be rude, Sasu-chan. I know Sakura-chan's here very often but you should still say hello," Mikoto said, taking her son by the shoulder and turning him around. From the way Sasuke's eyes widened, it was clear that he hadn't even noticed her in the first place. When Sakura lifted her hand in a feeble wave, Sasuke wiped his fingers across his mouth before he pointed an accusatory finger at her.

"Where the heck have you been? Naruto's been groaning about how you must've died!" Sasuke demanded. Sakura stared at him, unsure of quite how to handle his strange anger.

"Um… I was sick and sleeping… so I didn't answer my phone?" she slowly answered. It was only then that Sasuke realized that both his mother and his brother were looking at him as if he had gone insane. Sasuke cleared his throat as he tried to lower his arm nonchalantly.

"See? I told you not to worry so much, Sasu-chan. Now go get cleaned up before dinner," Mikoto ordered, shooing Sasuke away to spare him any further embarrassment.

"Mikoto-san….one of your sons is rather odd," Sakura commented after Sasuke had scrambled out of the room, struggling to hide his blush. Mikoto laughed.

"Only one of them?"

Dinner was a rather calm affair. Mikoto's stew was like ambrosia when Sakura finally got to taste real food for the first time in a few days. Still, she was very much aware of everyone's eyes on her so Sakura restrained herself from gobbling down everything including the bowl (which she was very much inclined to do so in her ravenous state). As they sat at the table eating dinner, Fugaku look at his eldest son.

"So, how's your week been, Itachi?" Fugaku inquired. Itachi chewed the mouthful of food in his mouth and swallowed leisurely. He calmly patted his mouth with the corner of his napkin before he looked up at his father sitting at the head of the table.

"I've had a rather good week. But I have an announcement I'd like to make," Itachi said. Barely giving anyone time to prepare, Itachi glanced at Sakura for a moment and then continued speaking.

"Sakura and I are dating."

Sakura nearly swallowed her spoon. Her hand froze mid-air as she struggled not to bite the handle right off the spoon. Directly across from her, Sasuke looked to be in the same dilemma. Mouth clamped firmly shut, Sakura stiffly turned her head to look at Itachi. He raised his eyebrows at her like he had no idea why she suddenly looked torn between throttling him and having a meltdown. Then, dreading this more than anything, Sakura peeked a glance at Mikoto and Fugaku who had remained wordless. To her surprise, Fugaku continued eating his dinner with the most serene expression while Mikoto was smiling cheerfully.

"I know, honey. We've been waiting for you two tell us," Mikoto explained when Sakura stared at her.

"Oh," Sakura faintly said. Sasuke eyed her with concern like she might pass out in her soup.

"I had a feeling you knew, mom. But I only felt it was appropriate," Itachi said and Mikoto nodded. Feeling a little silly for having worried so much, Sakura dug happily back into her meal.

"So, I hope you know this, Sakura-chan. But we're really hoping for at least two granddaughters," Mikoto suddenly added. Itachi had to clap Sakura on the back to stop her from choking to death.

When it was time for Sakura to go home, leftovers were neatly packed into plastic containers and wrapped up for her to take with her. They stood at the front door to say the usual goodbyes.

"We'll see you next week. Somehow dinner didn't feel right without some of your dessert," Fugaku said.

"That's right. I've been craving that blueberry cheesecake you made," Mikoto chimed in as she hugged Sakura tightly.

"Ah, let me get that for you," Sasuke said, taking the plastic bag filled with leftovers from her. Grateful but puzzled, Sakura let Sasuke walk her to Itachi's car. When she climbed into the passenger's seat, Sasuke handed off the bag and then lingered, not closing the door.

"Everything okay?" Sasuke asked quietly, shooting a furtive glance at his family. But Itachi was busy talking to his parents so there was no chance of them being overheard.

"Um... yeah?" she replied, a little thrown by the sincerity ringing in his voice.

"Well, that's good. So I guess I'll see you tomorrow in school?"

"Yeah," Sakura responded with a smile. He eyed her a little unsurely before Sakura lightly punched his arm.

"Good night," said Sakura. Sasuke seemed to get the message as he shut the door.

"Night," he gruffly replied as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and headed up the stone walkway to his house. A few seconds later, Itachi opened up the door and settled into his seat. He snorted quietly as he buckled his seatbelt and started the car.

"What?" she demanded.

"What's the face?" Itachi queried, putting his arm over her seat so he could look behind as he backed out of the driveway.

"Sasuke-kun is acting weird," she admitted.

"Sasuke **is **weird," Itachi corrected. She giggled as she curled up in her seat, snuggling into the hood of her purple sweater. After a night of hearty food and a fair amount of good-natured teasing on Mikoto's part, Sakura was feeling significantly better. She almost forgot all about what had been bothering her in the first place until her cell phone buzzed from inside her cupped palm. The car veered slightly to the left as Itachi's elbows locked. Sakura's mouth was still open mid-laugh as she stared blankly down at the illuminated screen. To her immense relief, it was Sasuke's picture that popped up.

"Hello?" Sakura said in a shaky voice.

"You left your jacket here," Sasuke told her. Sakura looked down to pat herself and realized that she had done just that. Smiling sheepishly at Itachi who shook his head disapprovingly, Sakura shrugged.

"Sorry about that. I guess I'll come pick it up next weekend," she sighed. But she heard Mikoto's voice in the background interrupt.

"Ah, no that's okay. Mom says you should keep warm so I'll bring it with me to school tomorrow. Later," Sasuke replied before he hung up. Sakura tried to hide that her hand was still shaking a little as she dropped her phone into her lap.

"Do you want me to call your phone provider? We could get your number switched, or just have his blocked," Itachi offered as they took an exit off the highway. The familiar blue sign with white numbers whizzed past, mixing in a sleepy blur with the orange street lights. Sakura made a noise in the back of her throat as she shook her head. When Itachi let his car roll up in front of her apartment complex, they watched a stray cat hop off a trash can and glare at them before wandering off into the night.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

So he reached over to brush her bangs out of her face and kiss her brow. When he pulled back, she smiled shyly up at him. The way he looked at her through his thick eyelashes was still as breathtaking as the first time she had seen him.

"Itachi-san, thank you for taking care of me," Sakura said as Itachi shut the front door behind them. When she turned back to put her shoes away, she caught the oddest expression on his face that quickly gave way to his usual calm look. She set her shoes down and reached out to brush the back of his hand with her fingers.

"Itachi-san?"

He stood staring at her for a solid minute. Then he dropped the white plastic bag in his left hand and took a step toward her.

"Sakura-san," he said.

"Yes?" Sakura replied.

"Sakura?"

"What is it Itachi-san?" she sighed, growing a little annoyed with his game. But he was looking at her like she had grown another head.

"Sakura."

"Itachi-san, if you call my name one more time, I might leave you for Sasori-san."

"So you don't care if I don't call you 'Sakura-san'? You're alright with just 'Sakura'?"

Sakura blinked owlishly at him.

"Why should it matter? Either way, it's my name, right?" Sakura queried in response. He smiled in a way that managed to look exasperated and relieved all at once.

"You're right," he sighed as he pulled her into a hug. Sakura pressed her face into his chest, inhaling the fragrance of grown-up cologne and soap.

"Then…" Itachi began and she looked up at him.

"Try calling my name," he requested.

"Um… Itachi-san?"

He shook his head.

"…..Uchiha-kun?" This was met with another rejection. Sakura pursed her lips as she tried to understand what it was that he was expecting.

"What do you call my brother?"

"Sasuke-kun," she easily replied. When Itachi raised an eyebrow at her, she promptly flushed.

"You're three years older than me! And that's too… embarrassing," she protested, her voice trailing off to a whisper. She shook her head furiously. Itachi let out a drawn-out sigh.

"I'm not letting you go until you say it at least once," he insisted. Sakura scowled at him.

"No," she flatly said.

"Sakura."

"Nope."

"I'll kiss you if you don't."

"Fine."

"With tongue."

"…uh…um…Itachi….Itachi-kun."

The way he smiled down at her was surprising. He looked so utterly happy that she couldn't quite understand. But it wasn't overflowing with the tenderness she had always come to expect. It was such a proud expression, almost smug. Then, a wicked thought crossed her mind that some kinder part of herself immediately tried to suppress.

"So… you want us to call each other more familiarly, right?" she cautiously asked just to gauge his reaction. Itachi nodded. But his smile faded when she reached up to poke his nose.

"Then how about Ikkun? That sounds familiar enough."

Itachi's left eye twitched.

"No."

"But Ikkun sounds cute. And no one else calls you that. So it would be super-familiar," Sakura pointed out while batting her eyelashes as innocently as possible. For the first time ever, Itachi actually glared at her. The full force of his irritation was in reality a very frightening thing and she immediately regretted her decision to tease him a little.

"Ikkun," Itachi repeated. She had to stop herself from giggling when she watched his eye twitch again.

"Ikkun," he grumbled a second time. When he glanced at her, Sakura widened her eyes, trying to look as cute as possible.

"…..If Kisame or Deidara start calling me that, I might actually kill them," Itachi warned her.

"That's okay," Sakura laughed as she rose on her tiptoes to peck him just for being so sweet. Itachi's mouth twisted down into a frown as he regarded her for another long moment. Then he tweaked her nose, making her squeal.

"I'm guessing you're going to stick with Itachi-san then?" he surmised. Sakura thought very hard for a moment.

"Itachi-nii?"

Sakura watched all the color drain out of his face. He suddenly turned away from her, hurriedly trying to hide his expression from her. Sakura rose on her toes and caught a glimpse of the red spreading up the back of the neck and toward his ears. But before she could say anything, Itachi turned back with his usual calm expression.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Itachi said as he bent over to kiss the tip of her nose and then released her. Scowling fiercely with one hand over her nose, Sakura let him slip out the front door. When she poked her head outside to watch him walk down the stairs, Itachi paused to wave her back inside, miming rubbing his arms to tell her that it was too cold for her to be outside. So she reluctantly shut the front door and locked it before scrambling to her bedroom to peek out her window. She lifted the edge of the white curtains to see the headlights of Itachi's car flicker on. It was too dark for her to see Itachi, but his headlights blinked a couple times in greeting before he drove off.

Haruno Sakura slept oddly peacefully that night. Even though her phone wasn't on silent, she wasn't yanked cruelly from her dreams by the fear that it would ring. When she woke at precisely 7 am the next morning, she scrolled through her recent calls and found that no one had tried to contact her during the night except Deidara who had texted her a photo of one of his pet goldfish claiming that it looked just like Kisame.

After the usual morning run with Kisame and Sasori (Deidara had refused to get out of bed), she took a shower and had toast for breakfast. As she passed her mirror, she caught sight of her left ear and paused to examine it. The piercing in her cartilage from the previous month had grown less tender, less pink. When she poked at it, it didn't ache like it used to. So after a moment of thought, she switched out the clear stud she had on for the silver cuff and matching skull she had gotten for her birthday. After she had dried off, she combed her fingers through her bangs, pulling them over towards the right and tucked her hair over her left ear. During the short train ride to school, she felt someone's eyes pass over it wonderingly and she peered up from her book to look around the crowded train. But all she saw were the sagging heads of sleepy businessmen on their way to work along with some kids her age with uniforms from different schools.

"Senpai! Haruno-senpai!" someone shouted as Sakura slipped through the doors to get off at her stop. Sakura glanced back to see a hand squeezing past the people packed inside the train. She pulled out her left earphone in case someone called her again. After a few seconds, a vaguely familiar face popped through. Just as the double doors began closing, he elbowed his way onto the platform. His dark hair was ruffled, tie crooked. Sakura eyed his wrinkled blazer and sighed.

"Haruno-senpai! You're coming to school today? Are you feeling better?" he babbled as he stumbled up to her.

Sakura stared at him for a moment.

"I'm Konohamaru! You know? Moegi and Udon's friend?" he said. Sakura blinked a few times as she eyed his spiky black hair and wide grin. After a moment, she recognized him as the kid who was always popping into the student council office to bother his two friends. Sakura nodded once to acknowledge him before she stuck her earphone back in and headed up the stairs leading out of the subway station. Konohamaru walked happily alongside her, hands wedged leisurely into his pockets and elbows swinging. The way he stared happily up at the sky reminded her of someone but she couldn't quite remember who. She was surprised that he didn't chatter the whole walk to school from the way that he had so eagerly introduced himself. But she didn't really think on it too much until the front gates of Konoha High School came into view.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" a familiar voice yelled over the sound of her music. Sakura turned her head just in time for Naruto to come charging at her and engulf her in a tight hug. Puffing her cheeks out, Sakura struggled to breathe as Naruto began sobbing dramatically about how he had worried that she had died horribly. Sakura frantically looked around the schoolyard but found that most of the others students were used to such dramatics and simply went on their way. So she let out a strangled sigh of relief when she saw Sasuke walking towards them. She didn't even need to say anything before Sasuke calmly approached and grabbed Naruto by the ear.

"Let her go, moron. She can't breathe," Sasuke snapped. Naruto looked at Sakura's purple face with wide eyes before he promptly dropped her. Sakura scowled as she rubbed at her ribs.

"Shut up, you jerk! You weren't even worried about poor Sakura-chan?" Naruto shouted, wrenching his red ear free of Sasuke's grip. As Naruto continued complaining while jumping up and down, Sasuke handed Sakura her neatly folded jacket. She accepted it with a sheepish smile.

"Thanks," Sakura said as she hugged it to her chest.

"Naruto-nii-chan!" Konohamaru exclaimed and Naruto seemed to finally notice him.

"Hey there, kid. Sakura-chan, this is Konohamaru. He's on the basketball team with us," Naruto said, ruffling Konohamaru's dark hair. It was only then that Sakura saw the similarities between the two. Literally, they were complete opposites: dark-haired and blonde. But the way they grinned so hard that their eyes crinkled and the sounds of their loud laughs were nearly identical. It was clear that Konohamaru idolized Naruto. When Sakura glanced over at Sasuke, she caught him rolling his eyes at the spectacle.

"One Naruto is bad enough," he muttered, looking her way. She giggled.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, what's that?" Naruto suddenly demanded. The change in Naruto's tone was what finally claimed Sakura's attention. She turned her head to look at him just as a light breeze ruffled her short hair.

"OH MY GOD! SAKURA-CHAN'S TURNING INTO THAT SCARY RED HAIRED GUY AND THAT WEIRD BLONDE DUDE!" Naruto howled, clutching his head as if the world was ending. Sasuke, who quickly recognized the earrings as her birthday presents, observed them with interest for a moment. He met Sakura's gaze and they both shrugged.

"Goodness, what's all this noise? Sakura-chan, how are you feeling?" Hinata quietly said as she walked up to them. The sight of his girlfriend did little to calm Naruto. If anything, it renewed his loud panic.

"Hinata-chan! Sakura-chan's becoming a hoodlum!" Naruto sobbed, pointing wildly at Sakura's ear. When Hinata's nose wrinkled with confusion, Sakura pushed her hair aside to reveal her left ear.

"Oh. Well Sakura-chan's already told me about that. Come on, Naruto-kun. We should get to class," Hinata calmly said as she took Naruto by the arm. She spoke to him in soft, soothing tones until Naruto's loud wails were reduced to quiet grumbles as they headed into the school together. Konohamaru looked back and forth between Naruto's retreating back and Sakura before he hurriedly bowed at Sakura and ran after his idol.

"Huh. And to think after almost 13 years of suffering, all it would take to finally shut that Naruto up was a girlfriend," Sasuke snorted. Sakura playfully shoved him as they began traveling down the path to the main school building.

Sakura truly began regretting her long absence only after classes had ended. It would take a little extra work to catch up on all the lessons she had missed, but when she opened the door to the student council office, the veritable mountains of papers stacked around the room were a truly terrifying sight. Udon and Moegi peered around her elbows with expressions of pure terror as they awaited some sort of verbal lashing for not getting enough work done. But Sakura looked around the room (including Shino who was peacefully napping on the sofa) and just shook her head. As she weaved her way through the chaos to her desk, she nudged Shino awake with her foot before taking a seat.

"I guess we'll have to divide all this up into fourths," Sakura paused to look at Shino sleepily rubbing at his face.

"Thirds," she amended.

"Wait, Kaichou, since Hyuuga-senpai graduated and we all moved up, doesn't that mean we need a new member to take over the position of historian?" inquired Moegi. Sakura barely glanced up as she began sorting through the top layer of files sitting on top of one of the less horrifying large stacks.

"We'll get to that next week. Let's focus on getting this work done first," Sakura said, gesturing to the chaos around the office as if it would be so easily forgotten. When the large pile on Sakura's desk had shrunk enough for her to see over it, there was a quiet knock. Shino had been sent home nearly an hour earlier since his main purpose seemed to be to take up enough room to make the office feel unreasonably cramped. Since Moegi and Udon were engrossed in reading through their own work, it was Sakura tossed her pen aside and sat up to stretch her back.

"Come in," she called out as she firmly stamped a rejection into a sheet and handed it off to Udon. When the door creaked open, Sakura waited for someone to speak, probably to report that some sports team had accidently broken a window and that they needed the student council to pay for repairs. But when there was silence.

"Can I help you?" Sakura asked as she picked up another piece of paper.

"Probably."

Sakura looked up.

"Oh, is it that late already?" she asked, glancing down at her watch. Itachi was standing in the doorway with one hand in his pocket. The other was holding up his cell phone. His silver tie was hanging loosely, sleeves rolled up. The top few buttons of his shirt were popped open to reveal his collarbones.

"I'm sorry. My battery died," Sakura explained as he held up her dead phone. Itachi took a few steps into the room, drawing Udon and Moegi's curious stares. He walked up to her desk and plucked the sheet she had been holding out of her hands.

"'Equipment replacement request form'?" Itachi read out loud. Sakura tapped the untidy words scrawled on the lines.

"The basketball team needs new jerseys and basketballs," she sighed, taking the paper back. From the messy slant of the words to the ink blots on the bottom of the page, she could tell that it was probably Naruto who had scribbled out the words before hurriedly shoving it into the mailbox outside. She glanced over the numbers and punched in a few figures into her calculator before she reluctantly took a pen and scrawled her signature in the bottom right corner.

"Ready to go?" asked Itachi as he surveyed the still rather messy office. Sakura flipped through the rest of the papers on her desk for a moment before she nodded. They had gotten enough work done that she didn't feel too guilty leaving anything for the next day. When Sakura set down her pen with a sort of finality, Moegi and Udon's heads popped up expectantly.

"Good job today, you two. You can go home now." As soon as she spoke, there was a flurry of the two gathering up their things and hurrying out the door. In less than a minute, the room was quiet, leaving almost no indication that there had been two extra people working there. Itachi blinked.

"Perceptive, aren't they?" Itachi chuckled. He watched as Sakura pulled on the blazer she had tossed over the back of her chair. With an almost imperceptible sigh, she picked up her school bag, glanced at him and then handed it over with an expression of martyrdom. She had given up on trying to carry anything around her boyfriend. Sakura cast another look around the office to make sure she hadn't left anything behind before she and Itachi walked into the hall. She locked the door, jiggling the handle to be sure before they began walking to his car.

* * *

Kisame had gone out for snacks. Everyone had stuffed wrinkled bills into his hand as he headed out to the convenience store. So the rest of the crew was taking a rather long break. Sasori was making the most of this temporary time of quiet. He was lying on his side with his back to everyone. With his arm thrown over his face to block out light, he was slumbering surprisingly peacefully for someone lying on the hard floor. Sasori was still recovering from the months of coffee and sleep-deprivation leading up to his final project. With an A under his belt and job offers flooding in from different designers who had attended the fashion show, Sasori's dreams were blissful and plentiful. Deidara was lying next to him in a much less elegant pose, mouth hanging open in a quiet snore.

"My back is killing me," Sakura groaned as she plopped onto the floor next to Itachi. She handed him a bottle of water before she twisted the top off her own and took a big gulp. Itachi sighed in response as he reached back to re-tie his short ponytail.

"I'll give you a massage, My-chan," Deidara said as he rolled across the floor towards her. Neither of them looked up as Itachi kicked him in the chest, sending him rolling back towards Sasori.

"I'm hungry. Where's Kisame-san?" Sakura complained as she threw herself onto the floor. Itachi raised an eyebrow at her.

"What's gotten into you?" he commented. Sakura pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I want to EAT! I'm so hungry I could die!" she moaned, rolling onto her stomach.

"Quit your whining, little squirrel. Your favorite Kisame-chan's back!" Kisame exclaimed as he burst in through the door. He held two bags in his hands, one of which he threw at Sakura. She let out a little cheer as she dug through the contents and found a paper bag filled with still-hot steamed buns.

"You're the best!" Sakura declared as she tore into one of the buns with gusto. Itachi put his arm around her shoulders, yanking her close. She stared up at him with bewildered eyes and bulging cheeks.

"Why is Kisame the best? That doesn't feel right," Itachi quietly said. Deidara and Kisame made gagging noises as Sakura scowled up at him.

"Please let me eat or I'll become very unpleasant," Sakura replied with a fierce little glare. But Itachi seemed unimpressed. He didn't loosen his hold on her, only leaning in closer while Deidara and Kisame threw their arms over each other's shoulders to grimace in sync.

"Is Kisame really the best?" Itachi demanded again. Sakura swallowed the chewed up food in her mouth and took a calm breath before she spoke.

"Ikkun."

The laughter that exploded from Deidara and Kisame echoed, filling the entire room. When they saw Itachi's shocked expression, they only threw their heads back further to roar so hard that Deidara actually fell over. Kisame collapsed next to him, his chest heaving as he tried to breathe past his chortles.

"IKKUN!" Deidara hooted as he sat up to point at Itachi.

Itachi's face suddenly darkened as he looked down at Sakura. Batting her eyelashes as innocently as possible, Sakura broke out her secret weapon.

"I'm sorry. It just sort of slipped out… Itachi-nii."

The laughter bouncing around cut off with an abrupt choking noise. This time, Itachi didn't have the chance to hide his expression as a blush clearly rose to his cheeks. A low snicker rose from Deidara and Kisame slapped him in the back of the head as he clearly struggled against his own urge to laugh again.

"Oh man… you're whipped, Itachi. So whipped, yeah," Deidara said before he burst into peals of laughter again, prompting Kisame to follow. Itachi looked blankly from his friends who were reduced into stupid fits of laughter and then down to his girlfriend smiling up at him with impossibly adorable eyes.

"I give up," Itachi groaned. But instead of releasing her, he threw his other arm over her and rolled over, pinning her beneath him.

"Hey! I'm feeling really violated! …And I'm still hungry!" Sakura protested while Kisame and Deidara began crying from laughing so hard.

* * *

*Okayu is rice porridge commonly eaten when ill. It's the Asian version of chicken noodle soup.

*Skinship is a term that usually refers to physical contact. In this case, Sakura means they're not as lovey-dovey as she'd like to be.

Reviews please! Let me know what you liked. Let me know what you want to see in the future. Because, as most of you know by now, reviews (and coffee) equal motivation for writing.


	16. Happy Golden Week

Lalala I'm going to fail all my finals. I can't focus but at least I got this chapter done. It might be a while before I get to the next chapter or might just take a week depending on how well my studying goes.

Enjoy this product of my insomnia and shattered hopes and dreams.

* * *

Fancy Footwork

Chapter 16: Happy Golden Week

By the end of April, Sakura had made a few interesting discoveries. The first one was that Sasori had an intense and irrational hatred of clowns and all things clown-like. This was a random discovery, one largely brought on when they were walking past a man dressed as a clown on the street who had stopped to ask them to donate money to orphans. Sasori had given the man such a lifeless stare that the unfortunate clown had burst into tears and run off.

The second revelation was that Kisame secretly loved dancing to choreography that was normally designed for girls. She had caught him enthusiastically waving his arms around to the mix CD she had accidentally left in the stereo. So startled by the sight, Sakura had dropped her water bottle, sending it rolling across the floor and knocking straight into Kisame's foot. Kisame froze, eyes wide as he turned to face her with his hands still curled up into cat-like paws at his temples.

"Oh crap. Don't make fun of me."

"Sure," Sakura said, already pressing a hand to her mouth to stifle her giggles as Sasori's head popped up over her shoulder. All it took was Sasori staring at her before Sakura burst into loud, full-bellied laughter while Sasori pointed a finger at Kisame's face.

The third and probably most amusing thing that Sakura discovered during April was that she had the power to make her boyfriend blush like a little girl. All it took was her pouting and saying "Ikkun" in her sweetest voice to make him concede to her on most points. However, he had also discovered one of her most key weaknesses: she was afraid of frogs. This discovery too was accidental. One day during their morning run, an innocent amphibian had crawled up onto the asphalt, nearly getting squished under Kisame's foot. Sakura had taken one look at the cold-blooded creature and let out such a high-pitched shriek that Kisame and Deidara imitated the noise for almost a week afterwards. Half-crying and half-laughing, Sakura had been forced to cover her eyes until Itachi shooed the animal away with his foot. Of course all of this had happened after Itachi made her promise never to call him "Ikkun" again.

And then, before anyone realized how quickly time was moving, it was the end of April and Golden Week* had rolled around. A full week free from schoolwork and student council responsibilities awaited her and it was a break that Sakura desperately needed.

Sakura lay on her back, relishing the cool feeling of the floor against her skin. She grumbled under her breath as she ripped open the wrapper of an ice cream bar. Tossing the wrapper aside, she stuck the cold treat in her mouth. A contented sigh left her as she rolled onto her side only to find Kisame and Deidara watching her with looks of utter disgust.

"What?"

"Stop being all happy and crap. You're giving me a cavity," Kisame grumbled.

"And you!" Deidara said, pointing an accusatory finger at Itachi who was sitting next to her with an ice cream bar in his mouth too. When Itachi simply blinked at him, Deidara seemed to deflate a little.

"Forget it. I was trying to find something to yell at you about too…." Deidara mumbled, lowering his hand.

"Shut up, Deidara," Sasori sighed from the corner. He was stretched out on his back, one arm thrown over his eyes. He slowly sat up, raising his arms over his head until they let out a satisfying pop. Looking around with sleepy eyes, he scooted across the floor until he reached Sakura.

"How are you feeling?" she asked as she rolled onto her stomach.

"I've been sleeping 14 hours a day. I should be near-human in about a week," Sasori flatly replied before he stretched out on the floor next to her.

"Has he always been like this?" Sakura inquired after watching Sasori sleep for a moment. When she looked up, Deidara shook his head.

"We only got 3rd place last year. Sasori ate nothing but crappy cup ramen and slept like 20 hours a day for about two months. He's pretty sprightly this time, yeah," Deidara told her as he poked at Sasori's shoulder with his big toe.

"Any plans for next week, Sakura-chan?" Kisame suddenly asked. Sakura popped the clean wooden stick out of her mouth and tossed it on top of its discarded wrapper before she grabbed another ice cream bar from the pile. As she peeled the plastic back with a thoughtful expression, Deidara poked Sasori again with his foot. This time, Sasori responded by smashing his fist down on Deidara's bare toe before rolling onto his side and depositing his head into Sakura's lap. Sakura barely glanced down at him or at Deidara rolling around in pain.

"Sleeping," she said. The grin creeping up Kisame's face made her eyes narrow with suspicion.

"What?" Sakura demanded.

"We should go to the beach," Kisame said.

"That's a stupid idea," Sasori suddenly replied without lifting his head. Sakura stifled a snort.

"Well it's the off season so the beach would be nice. And the weather's warm enough," Itachi mused. When he rubbed at his chin, Sakura's eyes widened.

"Didn't Sasuke-kun mention that your family has a summer house?" she said, looking at Itachi with excitement.

"Go without me. I can finally get some real sleep without you bothering me," Sasori commented as he finally lifted his head from Sakura's lap.

"But it's off season, Sasori-san. It'll be quiet and I'm sure the ocean air would be good for your health," Sakura argued. He tilted his head to look up at her with scrutiny. With a heavy sigh, he dropped his head back into her lap and closed his eyes.

"She's dangerous, Itachi," Sasori grumbled.

"I know," Itachi responded.

So after a little discussion and a little more persuasion, everyone agreed that spending the week at the Uchiha family's beach house was the best plan.

"Hey, My-chan, why not invite little Baby Sasu-chan and your other friends, yeah?" Deidara suggested. At this, Sakura and Itachi turned to give him identical looks of disbelief making Kisame snicker.

"Why? So you can bully him some more? Give him a break, Deidara-san. Sasuke-kun's my friend," Sakura scolded, waggling a finger at him. But Kisame interrupted by throwing his arm over Deidara's shoulder.

"That's not it, Sakura-chan. You see, Deidara here wants to play volleyball but he always loses against Itachi and me. So he's hoping that some fresh Uchiha blood will help even out the odds," Kisame told her, ignoring Deidara's deadly glare as he tried to shrug him off. Kisame simply moved his arm to catch Deidara in a headlock while Sakura and Itachi looked at each other.

"I suppose there's enough room for about three more people?" Itachi said as he counted off on his fingers.

"Hm… well…. I guess then…." Sakura trailed off as she pulled out her cell phone.

It took a bit of persuading since Hinata had never actually met any of Sakura's other friends before, but she eventually agreed that a vacation on the beach sounded fun. The phone call with Sasuke was much shorter. In fact, it took less than a minute:

"What?"

"Sasuke-kun, I'm going to the beach with your brother and some friends. You should come."

"…Fine."

"OOH ASK IF I CAN COME TOO!"

"….Can the idiot come?"

"Sure."

"Okay. Bye."

When Sakura put her phone down, Deidara was scowling. Though it could have been because Kisame still had him caught in a headlock, Deidara didn't seem at all bothered by his position. Instead, he was glowering at her phone.

"So my friend Hinata-chan and Sasuke-kun and Naruto," Sakura listed out.

"Two boys, yeah?" Deidara said in a voice heavy with disapproval.

"Yes but one of them is 'Baby Sasu-chan'," Sakura pointed out.

"Besides, if her boyfriend says it's fine, it's fine," Sasori grumbled out. Sakura patted the top of his head with a bright smile. When all eyes turned expectantly to Itachi, he froze for a moment. While Sakura was looking at him with her big green eyes, just behind her, Kisame and Deidara were silently shaking their heads. Itachi's gaze flickered back and forth between these opposing groups before he shrugged.

"I'm sure it'll give Deidara and Kisame plenty of time to make their lives living hell," Itachi sighed. At first, Deidara looked outraged. But then he exchanged looks with Kisame and a devilish grin pulled up at his mouth.

Sakura began to fear dearly for Naruto and Sasuke.

After a couple more hours of practice (where Kisame kept missing his entrance until Deidara ripped off his shoe and whapped him in the back of the head with it), they grabbed a quick dinner at a nearby restaurant and then separated to pack. Just as Sakura walked into her apartment and turned to wave at Itachi to let him know that he could leave, her cell phone rang. Her eyes flickered over the caller ID for a moment, just a little hesitant. But to her relief, it was Hinata's name that popped up.

"Sakura-chan, are you sure it's alright for me to come with you? Isn't this an event with your dance team?" Hinata immediately asked in a worrying tone that Sakura recognized well.

"Don't be silly, Hinata-chan. If Sasuke-kun and Naruto are allowed to come, I promise you that you're not being a bother," Sakura assured her friend as she lugged her suitcase out of the closet. She could hear the sound of a zipper over the phone.

"Are you done packing already?" Sakura inquired to distract her. As she spoke, she grabbed a handful of undergarments from the top drawer of her dresser.

"Almost. What are we going to do there? Do you think it'd be alright to pack a bathing suit?" Hinata worried and worried until Sakura stopped rolling up t-shirts to laugh a little.

"It's the beach, Hinata-chan. Some sunbathing, maybe volleyball. I'd bring a bathing suit just in case. I don't think we'll be swimming in the ocean because it might be cold but you never know," said Sakura as she opened up her bottom drawer where she had stashed her bathing suits from last year. She picked up the mint green top she had favored last year and as she stretched the fabric, she realized that it probably wouldn't fit anymore. The bottoms were too loose and the tops too tight. Just as she began to worry, she heard a series of beeps.

"Ooh, Hinata-chan, I've got another call on the line. Do you mind waiting for a second?" Sakura said, already guessing who it was.

"Okay. But Sakura-chan, what kind of bathing suit should I bring? Naruto-kun's going to be there!" Hinata blurted out.

"Um… pack a few and I'll help you decide when we get there," Sakura quickly replied before she hit a series of buttons.

"None of your swimsuits from last year fit and you were about to freak out, yeah," Deidara greeted her. Sakura scowled even though she knew he wouldn't be able to see her.

"Don't worry. Fishy's been planning to spring this on us for days. Sasori and I have a few things so we'll bring them, okay?" he assured her. She let out a long sigh of relief.

"You're the best, Deidara-san. I have my friend on the other line so I have to go."

When she flipped back to Hinata, she heard a serious of rustles.

"Hinata-chan?"

"Would wearing a dress be strange? I always wear pants on my dates with Naruto-kun," Hinata immediately began. Sakura rifled through a few things in her closet before she plucked some dresses off the hangers and folded them over her arm. As she began organizing everything into her suitcase, Sakura patiently guided her distraught friend through everything she might possibly need. When Sakura reminded her to bring a few feminine products in case of an emergency, Hinata let out a little squeak of surprise.

"I heard one of the girls in class talking about how her boyfriend became so… **bold** when he saw her in a bikini for the first time!" Hinata panicked. Sakura could hear the beginnings of hyperventilation.

"Hinata-chan!" she half-yelled over the sounds of Hinata's gradual breakdown. Everything went quiet.

"Naruto is probably just as shy if not shyer about stuff like that. And there are four adults there plus Sasuke-kun and me. He's not going to try anything," Sakura logically stated. As she zipped her suitcase up, she heard the faint crackle of plastic.

"…Are you sure?"

"I'm so sure that if he **does** try something, I'll shave off all my hair," Sakura said with a laugh. To her immense relief, Hinata giggled in response.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan. I've never gone away with friends before. You're the best," Hinata sighed. Sakura smiled as she popped the handle out of the suitcase and stood it up. Her shoulder bag packed with her wallet and cell phone and other necessities was slung over her right shoulder. Glancing down at the long t-shirt and leggings she had worn straight from practice, Sakura decided she didn't need to change her clothes. Instead, she pulled on a light-yellow hoodie and pushed up the sleeves to her elbows.

"No problem. We'll probably be around to pick you up in about half an hour," she said. After offering a few more tidbits of advice, Sakura hung up.

Itachi came by after about ten minutes. When he popped open the trunk, she caught a glimpse of two simple blue duffel bags along with a plastic red cooler. She gingerly lifted the lid with her pointer finger and found it filled with bags of ice. She closed the cooler and then the trunk before plopping down in the passenger's seat. Sakura took a moment to twist around to wave at Sasuke sitting sullenly in the back seat. But he took a moment to wave back at her before crossing his arms over his chest.

"So we're picking up Naruto and then Hinata-chan?" Sakura confirmed as Itachi leaned over to give her a greeting kiss. She thought she heard Sasuke gag a little.

"That's right. Deidara and Sasori are taking Kisame," Itachi added as he pulled onto the street.

The two-hour ride to the ocean was a lot less awkward than expected. While Sakura sat up front chatting with Itachi to make sure he didn't fall asleep while driving, Sasuke immediately leaned his head against the window and fell asleep. Naruto sat in the middle with Hinata to his right. Though there was a fair share of blushing and giggling from the couple, everything seemed relatively pleasant. When Itachi's black car drove straight across the sand to the Uchiha family's beach house, Sakura gasped.

The white wooden siding glowed light blue in the moonlight. It was three stories high with a large porch that wrapped up the front of the building. When Itachi parked in the driveway, Sakura sat with her hands in her lap, just taking in the view and listening to the distant rush of waves lapping against the sand. She finally turned to look when she heard Naruto snickering rather loudly. Sasuke was still dozing rather peacefully despite the fact that Naruto was poking his cheek less than gently. The sound of car doors slamming and Deidara cheering, "I'M STARVING, YEAH!" immediately jolted Sasuke awake.

"I think he's honestly traumatized," Sakura commented as she and Itachi looped around the back of the car to open the trunk. Sasori's navy blue sedan was parked next to them. Deidara cheered loudly as he bounded off into the house, leaving Kisame and Sasori to unload the car. Sasori half-heartedly glared at his friend's retreating back.

"Leave him. He had coffee on the way here. He'll be asleep in an hour," Kisame grumbled as he lifted a box onto his shoulder and headed into the house too. When Sakura picked up her suitcase, she immediately met Itachi's eyes.

"No," she firmly said when his hand moved to take her luggage from her.

"You need to take your stuff and that cooler," she argued when he reached again. Sakura threw her arms up into the air when he easily tucked his duffel bag under his right arm and took the cooler in his hand before rolling her suitcase along in the other. Rolling her eyes, she took a couple plastic bags from the stuff in the back of Sasori's car and followed Itachi up the stone pathway. The foyer was a soft shade of cream matched with light wood floors. She peered past the doorway into an open living room area that flowed into a dining room. She poked her head into the other doorway and found a brightly-lit kitchen with little green seashells dotting the backsplash tiles. She placed the bags on the marble counters before she headed outside again to help Kisame. After a couple more trips, everything was moved inside and the cars were locked. Everyone gathered in the living room. There was a large beige sectional that easily seated Hinata, Naruto, Sasori and Sakura. Kisame and Deidara were sprawled out on the floor, Deidara's eyelids already drooping. Itachi turned to his brother to discuss something for a moment before he clapped his hands to gain everyone's attention.

"Alright. It's late so I'll tell everyone where their rooms are. Sakura and Hinata-san will be in the master bedroom on the second floor. The door has a green ribbon hanging from the doorknob. Naruto and Sasuke will be in the room next to theirs and Sasori-senpai will be in the room across the hall. Kisame and I will be in the room on the third floor and since Deidara kicks in his sleep, he'll be sleeping on the couch down here," Itachi listed out. Deidara shrugged, as if he had already expected being ostracized.

"Well we're pretty tired so I think we'll be heading to bed first," Sakura said as she stood. Hinata timidly copied her, her eyes darting nervously around to everyone in the room.

"Oh and before I forget, Hinata-chan, these are my friends. That's Kisame-san, Sasori-san, Deidara-san and my boyfriend… Itachi…. Itachi-kun."

Deidara and Kisame chuckled together when they watched her stumble over the new title for Itachi. Sasori simply dipped his head when his name was called.

"N-n-nice to m-meet you. I'm H-Hyuuga H-Hinata. S-s-sorry t-to-to intrude," Hinata nervously greeted them, bowing deeply.

"It's not really a bother. Since you're My-chan's best friend, it's no trouble," Deidara casually said while examining his nails. He glanced up to look her over once with a shrewd look that Sakura recognized.

"And she's Naruto's girlfriend so be nice, Deidara-san," Sakura sternly said, giving Deidara a little glare.

"That's not what I was thinking of, you perv. Your friend's pretty, Sakura-chan. I approve," Deidara declared before he stood and shoved Naruto off the sofa with his foot before collapsing onto it. Sasori swatted his forehead once before he moved off the sectional too, leaving Deidara to sprawl happily.

"Good night," Sakura said as she took her suitcase. She was met with a chorus of similar greetings. The two girls took up their things and headed up the staircase to the second floor. They ended up in an open sitting room furnished with wicker furniture. To the left were three doors, up ahead glass double doors that led to a wide balcony and to the right one more door. They easily spotted the green ribbon and Sakura was the one to enter the room first.

The inside of the master bedroom looked like something straight out of the glossy pages of a department store catalogue. Everything from the mint green walls to the large bed complete with throw pillows was perfectly coordinated. While Hinata peered into the connecting bathroom, Sakura slid open the glass door that led to a small balcony just big enough for a small wrought iron table with two matching chairs. She stepped onto the cool stone that looked out onto the empty white beach. The foam gathering on the sand seemed to glitter as she scanned the horizon. She gripped the metal railings to take in deep breaths of the cool, salty air.

"Sakura-chan, come look at this," Sakura heard Hinata call out to her in a voice breathy with excitement. So Sakura took another refreshing breath before she tore herself away from the sight of dark water frothing up and down the shore. When she closed the door behind her, she was met with Hinata pointing to a picture frame left on top of the dresser.

"Ah, I recognize that!" Sakura exclaimed when she saw what Hinata was so interested in. It was a family portrait of the Uchiha family, obviously taken many years ago from the way that Itachi's head barely reached his father's elbow. Mikoto was the only one sitting while her husband stood to her right. Itachi stood just beside his father while Sasuke stood close to his mother's left, his small fingers wrapped around the edge of her sleeve. Sakura reached into her bag to pull out her wallet. Tucked behind her school ID were two small photos that she brandished to show Hinata.

"Is that who I think it is?" Hinata asked.

Sakura grinned. The first was the same picture of Itachi in his footie pajamas as a baby that Mikoto had given to her. The other was of Itachi as a chubby-faced child sitting on a beige settee, his feet dangling in the air. The familiar blue and white polka-dot bowtie Sakura had come to love so much was set neatly in the collar of his white shirt. The sight of his blue button-down cardigan and neatly-pressed black pants made Hinata squeak.

"Isn't that adorable?" Sakura asked. Hinata turned bright pink but was only able to nod furiously.

"How're things going with you and Naruto?" she suddenly inquired as she turned around to draw the curtains. Hinata plopped down on the edge of the bed. From the way Hinata's cheeks remained pink, Sakura couldn't tell whether her initial blush wasn't fading or if another one had renewed the color.

"Sakura-chan, can I ask you something?"

"Hm?" Sakura replied as she hung up her hoodie in the closet and then yanked her t-shirt off. As she pulled her arms through the sleeves of the oversized light-yellow t-shirt she had packed for sleeping in, Sakura turned back to Hinata.

"Well…. You've… you've been with Uchiha-san for four months now, right?" Hinata began, twiddling her fingers. Sakura nodded slowly as she peeled off her leggings and slipped into bright coral-colored shorts decorated with white butterflies and swirls.

"How…. How… how far have you…. You know?" When her friend trailed off while turning an alarming shade of red, Sakura's eyes widened. Flushing a little too, Sakura grabbed a pillow and half-heartedly threw it at Hinata.

"Hinata-chan!" she exclaimed as she threw herself onto the bed, rolling onto her side to hug a pillow to her chest before rolling over to face Hinata.

"But… well I was talking to Ino-san and she kept asking me when Naruto-kun and I were planning on… planning on doing **it**. And since your boyfriend's so mature, I thought maybe you would know," Hinata explained in a much calmer voice.

"Well, I probably know less than you do, Hinata-chan. It's kind of frustrating. I think he sees me as just a kid," Sakura admitted with a sigh.

"HEY MY-CHAN! WE GOT ICE CREAM! COME DOWNSTAIRS, YEAH!" Deidara called from just outside the door, making Hinata jump. Sakura met Hinata's wide eyes and she giggled.

"Don't worry. They're all loud but they're really nice," she assured her as she stood. Sakura glanced towards the door before she grabbed the white sweatshirt with cat ears on the hood that Kisame had given her.

"Come on. Change into your pajamas and then let's get ice cream before they eat it all," Sakura said. She waited for Hinata to put on a light purple nightgown that fell to her knees. With the touches of lace and ribbons, Hinata blushed as she wondered out loud if it was too revealing. Sakura rolled her eyes as she grabbed onto her best friend's hand and dragged her downstairs. They passed Deidara splayed out on the sofa while Kisame and Sasori were flipping through the channels on the TV.

"Itachi-kun?" Sakura called as she poked her head into the kitchen.

"Strawberry or chocolate?" Itachi asked as soon as he saw her. Sakura released Hinata's hand as she took the last few steps up to the island where Itachi was sorting through plastic bags. She hoisted herself onto the counter and put her hand on his shoulder as she peered down at the food.

"Go sit with everyone else in the living room, Hinata-chan. We'll be out in a second," Sakura said when Hinata continued to linger unsurely in the doorway. Hinata nodded once before she cautiously made her way towards the sofa where Kisame had grabbed Deidara in another headlock.

"Are we making your friend uncomfortable?" Itachi quietly asked as he handed her a bunch of plastic spoons.

"Hmm I think Hinata-chan's just naturally a little wary of strangers. I don't think she dislikes anyone though," observed Sakura as she took a couple of the containers of ice cream and hopped off the counter. But before she could leave, Itachi slipped his hand around her waist and pulled her close to his chest. She didn't even have time to blush when Itachi planted a kiss on her mouth and then released her like nothing had happened. When she scowled, Itachi looked at her with his most innocent expression.

"The ice cream's melting, Sakura."

"Ah! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY-CHAN, YOU SICKO?" Deidara exclaimed as he suddenly ran into the kitchen and threw Sakura over his shoulder before dashing into the living room. Sakura squealed when he threw her onto the sofa and then headed into the kitchen to loudly harass Itachi.

"What…what just happened?" Sakura asked in a dazed voice as she looked over at Sasori sitting cross-legged on the floor. Sasori shrugged and then took the carton of pistachio ice cream from her and ripped off the lid. Poor Hinata sat carefully on the sofa next to Sakura, like moving too brashly would set off a bomb. Naruto and Sasuke wandered downstairs a minute later. Sakura didn't miss the way Naruto's eyes bugged out when he noticed his girlfriend's feminine nightgown. He began thumping Sasuke furiously on the back before Sasuke retaliated by grinding his fist into Naruto's temple and shoving him aside. Scowling in his usual manner, Sasuke made his way over to the sofa. He looked like he was about to take the open spot next to Sakura before he glanced toward the kitchen. With a grunt, he settled on the floor by Sakura's feet to prop his elbows up on the coffee table.

"Deidara-san, stop being weird and come eat!" Sakura called as she plopped a carton of strawberry ice cream in her lap and took up a spoon. Only Naruto seemed to be really shocked by the sight of Sakura tearing off the plastic lid and digging out a huge chunk of ice cream. Even Sasuke barely glanced in her direction.

"Any rum raisin, yeah?" Deidara asked as he plopped down on the floor next to Sasuke. Sasuke's eyes darted nervously toward Deidara and then to Kisame sitting across from them. When a grin stretched Kisame's mouth, Sakura picked up a spoon and lobbed it straight at Kisame, hitting him in the forehead.

"Be nice, Kisame-san. If you're going to bully anyone, bully Deidara-san," she chastised. Kisame only grumbled a little as he rubbed his forehead. Then, shrugging, he picked up the spoon that had struck him and used it to steal some ice cream from Sasori.

"So cruel, My-chan! Why are you conspiring with Trout-kun against me? Aren't I your favorite, yeah?" Deidara grumbled.

"Why would you be her favorite? Get away. Your face is disgusting," Itachi interrupted as he shoved Deidara further away from Sakura with his foot and then settled on the sofa to Sakura's left. Putting his arm over her shoulders, he peered into the half-empty carton with some amount of disbelief. Sakura pouted, cheeks filled with the sweet treat.

"Don't judge me," she mumbled.

"Too late," Itachi retorted as he took her spoon and used it to scoop some ice cream into his mouth. Deidara, who had scooted over to sit next to Kisame, began making loud gagging noises while Kisame looked ready to really vomit.

"Oh go get a room, you two," Kisame snarled as he flopped onto his back.

"DON'T ENCOURAGE HIM, YEAH!" Deidara yelled, jamming his foot into Kisame's side. When Kisame made a noise like a grumpy bear but didn't retaliate, Sakura laughed a little. She swatted Itachi's hand away when he reached for her ice cream. Giggling mischievously, she shoveled the rest of the ice cream into her mouth and turned to Itachi with a triumphant expression. He shook his head as he tapped her nose and then moved off the sofa.

Once the food was gone, Deidara and Kisame turned to their old hobby of harassing Sasuke. When Sasuke turned to her with wide eyes, Sakura let out a sigh of pity and quickly took Deidara and Kisame by the hands.

"Now, children, time for bed. Leave poor Sasuke-kun alone," she said in a teacher-like voice as she helped them to their feet.

"But My-chan!" Deidara whined even as he obediently marched out of the living room behind Kisame. Sasori stood too, pausing to pat Sakura's cheek before he headed up to bed. Sakura and Hinata lingered in the kitchen, helping Itachi clean up before calling it a night.

"Good night, Ikkun," Sakura quietly said, rising on her tiptoes to kiss him. His hand caught her wrist as she tried to slip away. The curl of Itachi's crooked smile made her blush before he pulled her in for another kiss. As they drew apart, he lightly nipped her lower lip.

"I thought we had a deal about you not calling me that, Sakura," Itachi reminded her. Feigning innocence, Sakura looked up at him with wide eyes. When she batted her eyelashes at him a few times, Itachi let out a weary sigh.

"Sleep well," Itachi murmured as he pressed his mouth to her cheek. Then, glancing at Hinata shyly hiding behind the edge of the doorway, Itachi nodded politely.

"Good night, Hyuuga-san," Itachi added. Still a little red in the face, Sakura quickly grabbed Hinata's hand and hurried upstairs. Hinata looked a little flustered too as they flopped onto the bed together.

"Wow, Sakura-chan… He's…. he's such an adult!" Hinata breathed, pressing her palms to her flushed cheeks. Sakura rolled her eyes as she wriggled out of her sweatshirt and tossed it on top of her suitcase before slipping under the covers. Hinata copied her, smoothing the edge of the soft fabric with her hand.

"Don't be fooled. I know for a fact that he secretly read comics in the newspaper while he pretends to read the finance section," Sakura sniffed. The girls looked at each other in the dim bedroom before they giggled. Though they had planned to whisper to each other all night without sleeping, gossiping and wondering until dawn, Hinata drifted off after less than 15 minutes. So Sakura lay in the dark, staring up at the white ceiling.

After half an hour of blankly watching shadows shifting across the ceiling and listening to the soft whisper of the ocean in the background, Sakura carefully slipped out of bed. She paused to pull on her sweatshirt before she quietly left the room and traveled down the stairs barefoot. As she made her way to the kitchen to get a glass of water, she heard the clink of glass. She glanced around the empty dining room and then the connected living room but there was only Deidara splayed happily across the sofa with one of his legs wrapped around his pillow in an undignified position.

It was when Sakura turned to admire the view of the pool in the backyard that she noticed two figures on the back deck. It didn't take long for her to recognize Kisame's large frame and Itachi's silhouette.

"Can't sleep?" Itachi greeted her when she stepped outside, sliding the glass door shut behind her. The soft murmur of the ocean greeted her as she stepped onto the smooth wood deck. Kisame lifted his free hand to wave at her while he filled up a tiny shot glass with sake. When Sakura nodded, Itachi patted the empty space between him and Kisame. She settled on the deck there, pulling up the hood of her sweatshirt. She heard Kisame chuckle as he tugged at one of the cat ears.

"Ooh is that a hammock?" Sakura asked, pointing excitedly at the shape hanging between two trees just next to the edge of the porch. Without waiting for anyone to answer, she bounded barefoot across the cool grass and happily climbed into it. She let out a little cheer as she settled into the comforting curve of the contraption.

"Want to do a shot, Itachi?" Kisame inquired, holding up the green bottle to Itachi. Itachi shook his head.

"No thanks," he politely declined before he stood and walked over to Sakura who had begun rocking herself back and forth. When Itachi grabbed on to the edge of the hammock to stop her, Sakura looked up at him with a pout. The only lights on outside were the two sconces on either side of the door. Even then, the soft golden color barely touched his face. His smile did funny things to her insides.

"Having fun?" Itachi asked. Nodding enthusiastically, Sakura tried to scoot over inside the confines of the hammock.

"Try it! I've never been so comfortable in my life," she insisted. Even when he looked ready to protest, she pulled at his arm until he let out a sigh and hopped into the hammock next to her. After some awkward twisting and squirming, they managed to find a comfortable arrangement. Lying side by side, arms pressed together, they stared up at the black sky. Isolated from the city of Konoha, big, twinkling clusters of stars appeared. Sakura nudged Itachi's shoulder as she pointed up at the largest point of white light.

"That's so pretty! Do you think that one's Polaris? Isn't that the one you should follow if you ever get lost?" Sakura said. They stared up at it for a moment before two red lights began blinking on either side of it. Itachi chuckled.

"Or it's an airplane," he flatly said as they laughed together.

By the time Kisame had finished off his bottle, he hadn't realized how quiet it had gotten.

"Hey, it's almost 2. We should…" Kisame trailed off as he turned around and saw Sakura's arm dangling lazily off the edge of the hammock. Kisame wasn't quite buzzed, just a little warmer than usual. So he was able to quite nimbly tiptoe over to the edge of the deck and peer inside the hammock, intending on catching his two friends making out and embarrassing them thoroughly. Instead, he was met with a sight that made him faintly embarrassed and nauseated all at once. Sakura had fallen asleep, obviously lulled there by the soft rocking of the hammock. But she had rolled onto her side, curling up against Itachi's side. Itachi's right arm was wrapped loosely around her, just enough to keep her from falling out. That would have been all fine on its own, but Itachi had fallen asleep as well.

"I should get a girlfriend too. Stupid Itachi showing off them being all lovey-dovey," Kisame grumbled as he turned and headed inside. A moment later, he emerged again, carrying the soft blue afghan that had been draped over the arm of the sofa. He draped it over Sakura, making sure to cover most of her exposed legs before leaving the rest on Itachi. Grunting proudly, Kisame made his way up to the third floor and happily took up the entire bed.

* * *

"YOU PERVERT! YOU DEMON! YOU HORNY LITTLE BASTARD!"

These were the sweet words that Haruno Sakura woke to in the morning. She groaned softly as she tried to bury her head under whatever she could, trying to block out the noise. But the sound of Itachi's exasperated sigh in her ear pulled her back to reality. The hiss of ocean waves crashing over the shore and the smell of salt in her nose reminded her of just where they were.

"I guess we fell asleep," Sakura whispered, cracking her eyes open. She found her head resting on Itachi's chest and she blinked a few times just to make sure. As she watched, Itachi's left arm rose. He checked his watch and then let his arm fall down.

"Damn that Deidara. It's only 7," Itachi grumbled and Sakura decided that she really liked the slight catch in his morning voice. She didn't reply as she closed her eyes again and snuggled closer to him. His low chuckle vibrated through his chest while he tightened the arm around her waist.

"AND YOU STOLE MY BLANKET TOO! SCREW YOU, YEAH!"

Muttering a very unkind word that made Itachi laugh, Sakura opened her eyes again to stare at the soft blue fabric draped over their legs. She reached out to lightly touch the knitting with her fingertip before she drew her hand back up to rest lightly on Itachi's chest. Itachi didn't seem to be as curious as her because he knocked his foot against hers underneath the blanket.

"I'd expect you to be a little more embarrassed and shocked in a situation like this, Sakura. I'm a little disappointed," Itachi idly remarked.

"Well I'm still sleepy and this hammock is unrealistically comfortable," she retorted. She flinched when the double doors leading onto the deck were flung open. And Deidara, dressed in just his boxers and a black t-shirt stood in the doorway, glaring fiercely. Sakura stared at flamboyant pattern of bright pink hippos scattered across his boxers.

"Nobody stole anything from you, Deidara. And this is an afghan, not a blanket," Itachi calmly said. Sakura's eyes widened as she watched a vein begin to throb dangerously in Deidara's temple. She nervously tugged at the front of Itachi's shirt, wondering if Deidara's head would actually explode from the dangerous shade of red it was turning.

"What do you think you're doing, hm? Are you going to take responsibility for your actions, Itachi? WHAT IF MY-CHAN GETS ALL BLOATED AND PREGNANT? ARE YOU GOING TO MARRY HER THEN?" Deidara shouted, stomping his foot furiously while pointing an accusatory finger. Then, from the balcony on the third floor, came a familiar voice.

"Deidara, shut up!" Kisame roared as he stuck his head past the sliding door.

"What? FISHY? Why aren't you on my side?" Deidara shouted as he looked up. Kisame, with his hair sticking up at odd angles, stumbled out onto the balcony. He leaned over the railing to look down at Deidara.

"I put the freaking afghan on them, alright? And shut up just because you have blue balls. No one cared when you slept with double-chinned girl from the library," Kisame snarled.

"SHE WASN'T DOUBLE-CHINNED AND I WAS DRUNK!"

Sakura stuck her finger in her exposed ear, trying to block out the yelling exchange so early in the morning. She was grateful when Kisame ripped off his slipper and flung it straight at Deidara, hitting him in the face, effectively cutting off any words that were bubbling up in him.

"GO BACK TO SLEEP, DEIDARA!" Kisame hollered before he went back into his room and slammed the glass door shut.

"Yes, Deidara. Go to sleep before Sakura realizes that you used the words 'bloated' and 'pregnant' in the same sentence as her," Itachi said in a pleasant voice. At this, Deidara paled. His blue eyes darted from the door to Sakura glowering at him as fiercely as she could while wearing a hood with cat ears. He stooped to pick up Kisame's slipper before he hurried back inside.

"Double-chinned?" Sakura repeated, tilting her head to look at Itachi's face.

"Deidara got really drunk and ended up going home with this random girl. She says Deidara fell asleep so nothing happened but we decided not to tell him that," Itachi explained. Shrugging unsympathetically, Sakura let her head fall onto Itachi's shoulder.

"I don't know where he gets all that energy from," she sighed as her eyes slid shut. The low sound of Itachi's chuckle and the murmur of the ocean were the only things that answered her.

"Are you hungry?" Itachi asked.

"Not yet," she replied in a small voice.

"Alright. Wake me up when you are," he said. When he threw his leg over her and pulled her even closer, Sakura let out a squeal. But when Itachi made it clear that he intended to fall asleep in this manner, Sakura gave up on struggling and instead decided to sleep too.

Two hours later, Sakura had managed to crawl out of the hammock without waking Itachi before readjusting the afghan over him. Shivering just a little from the cool morning air, she hurried inside where Deidara was once again slumbering quite peacefully. This time, he was lying face-down on the floor, clearly having fallen asleep while sulking.

"Hey, Kitten. I'm going out for a run. You coming?" Kisame greeted her when they met in the doorway of the kitchen. He tossed the remnants of an apple core in the trash can, already changed into shorts and a clean t-shirt. Sakura shook her head.

"Too hungry. Too tired," she explained. Kisame's mouth stretched into a grin.

"That's fine. See you in a bit," he said before he jogged out the front door. By the time Kisame returned from his run, the house was filling with the rich fragrance of sizzling bacon and eggs. Sakura greeted him with a tin of warm blueberry muffins straight from the oven. Tears of joy sprang up in his eyes as he took one and quickly peeled off the paper wrapper before jamming the whole thing into his mouth.

"You're the best!" exclaimed, reaching for another muffin. But when Kisame reached out for a one-armed hug, he was pushed back by the face by Itachi's hand.

"Go take a shower, Kisame," Itachi ordered, pinching his nose with one hand.

"This is the smell of a man, Itachi. Don't get jealous," Kisame chortled as he made his way up to the third floor to wash up. When Sakura turned to offer Itachi a muffin too, he ignored the food and instead leaned in for a kiss. Though she had been expecting the chaste peck they always exchanged in greeting, she was surprised by the brush of his tongue along her lower lip. Before she could react, he pulled away and gave her one of his smiles that never failed to make her turn a little pink.

"I thought I told you to wake me. You shouldn't have to make breakfast alone," Itachi sighed as he looked around at the platters of steaming scrambled eggs and crisp bacon. There was even a pan in the oven filled with something that looked like cheesecake.

"But you were sleeping so well. Seriously, try one of these," Sakura said, holding up the muffin tin again.

"Blueberry?" Itachi confirmed, waiting for her nod before he took one of the fluffy treats. Steam curled into the air when he split it in half. Itachi only popped one part into his mouth, holding up the other in front of her.

"That's okay. I had one when they came out of the oven," Sakura said. But when Itachi raised his eyebrows at her, Sakura sighed and opened her mouth. Just as Itachi eased the muffin half into her mouth, Sasuke shuffled into the kitchen, running a hand through his messy hair. His eyes widened, swiveling between his brother and his friend before disgust crossed his expression.

"Ugh. Call me when breakfast's ready," he groaned, hurrying out of the room.

"Did you time that on purpose?" Sakura demanded as she set the muffin tin down on the counter and slipped off her oven mitts. She swallowed her mouthful of food before she scrunched up her nose in a scowl.

"Perhaps," Itachi replied a little mysteriously as he took up two full platters and whisked them off to the dining room. By the time everyone else had stumbled out of bed, the cheesecake was out of the oven and topped with cream cheese frosting. Only Hinata was out of her pajamas, changed into a light blue dress over a plain white t-shirt and jeans. Sakura had found the time to switch her pajama shorts for a pair of sweatpants but she remained in a similar state of frumpiness as the rest of her friends. Hinata's eyes met Sakura's, wide with confusion probably from the fact that she had woken up to a very cold and very obviously unused half of the bed.

"Morning, Hinata-chan," Sakura simply said. Hinata raised her eyebrows at her but was distracted by Naruto calling her name as he cheerfully flew down the stairs. Everyone crammed around the rectangular table to dig into the feast. There was the usual struggle of Kisame and Deidara squabbling over who got the last piece of bacon while Sasori was struggling not to fall asleep in his eggs. When Sakura got up for a moment and came back with a few apples, she found that Deidara had slumped over across his chair and hers, already dozing off again. Balancing a tray in one hand and a knife in another, Sakura stared at Deidara until his eyes slowly opened.

"I'm waking up to My-chan holding a knife, yeah," he muttered. Kisame snorted as he grabbed Deidara by the ear and yanked him upright. When Sakura settled into the newly vacated seat, the rest of the table fell silent. Puzzled by the quiet, Sakura looked up while peeling one of the apples.

"Have you been putting My-chan up to wife training or something?" Deidara demanded. Kisame and Sasori both raised their hands to smack him. Their eyes met and then Sasori extended his arm in an invitation for Kisame to proceed. But Kisame shook his head.

"Go ahead, Sasori-senpai," Kisame insisted. With a nod, Sasori cracked his knuckles and then proceeded to hit Deidara so hard that his forehead banged against the tabletop. While Kisame and Sasori exchanged high-fives, Deidara clutched his head, groaning.

"But you're seriously good at this, Sakura-chan," Kisame suddenly chimed in as he watched Sakura rotate an apple around the blade of her knife. The bright red peel came off in an even strip that spiraled down onto the tabletop. Sakura smiled as she held up the creamy apple revealed underneath before she dug her knife into the soft flesh and cut out a clean wedge. Before Sakura could hand it off to anyone else, Deidara promptly ducked under her arm and chomped down on the fruit.

"You asshole! That was supposed to be Itachi's piece!" Kisame complained as he pinched Deidara's cheek.

"It was?" Deidara yelped.

"It was?" Naruto asked with a bewildered expression.

"It was?" Sakura and Itachi repeated as they looked at each other.

"If you're going to be all gross and lovey-dovey, you might as well do it right," Kisame huffed.

"….You're weird, Kisame-san," Sakura finally declared as she went back to cutting neat wedges off the rest of the apple.

After everyone had finally stopped eating, they leaned back in their chairs, reclining and patting their bellies.

"I'd say Baby Sasu-chan and Naruto do dishes," Kisame cheerfully volunteered.

"What? Why us? You guys ate too!" Naruto immediately whined, jumping to his feet.

"Because we need to work on the choreography for that new set," Itachi answered as he got to his feet. Sakura groaned, letting her head loll back against the chair.

"My legs hurt! I don't wanna! I thought this was vacation! I think I hurt my ankle or my wrist. I have my period. I have leprosy-" Sakura's long list of complaints was cut off as Kisame and Deidara took her by the arms and hauled her out of her seat.

"None of those things are true except for maybe the leprosy, Kitten," Kisame chortled.

"What?" Sakura said as everyone else eyed Kisame strangely.

"Well… I noticed you get pretty crabby toward the middle of the month so I just assumed-" Sasori clamped his hand over his mouth and quietly dragged him away.

"Off we go," Itachi said in a strangely cheerful voice as he took her by the hand and pulled her outside. Sakura managed to grab onto Hinata's arm to drag her along as she was hauled out the back door to the yard. Deidara followed soon after with his mp3 player and a set of speakers. As he busied himself setting up the music, Sakura sat Hinata down on the edge of the porch.

"Feel free to watch. If you get bored, you can leave. But please don't get bored," Sakura said with a smile. Before Hinata had time to respond, Kisame and Sasori came running out and the first song blared through the speakers. Sakura scrambled down to get into her position in the front of the formation with her back turned to Hinata.

With a small competition coming up in the neighboring city, Kisame had persuaded everyone to take part. The prize offered was a stack of gift certificates for his favorite all-you-can eat sushi buffet. Though Sakura and Deidara had rolled their eyes at such enthusiasm over a minuscule reward but they agreed that working out some new routines wouldn't be a bad idea.

"You want to go with your solo part, My-chan? We could use that blank spot for either you or Mr. Fish over there," Deidara said as his finger hovered over the play button. Sakura hesitated for a moment before she nodded and motioned for him to go ahead.

Sakura supposed that they could have chosen a somewhat cuter song since Hinata was watching and she was positive that Naruto and Sasuke were shoving each other as they struggled to peek through the back door without getting caught. As her foot tapped along to the beat, Sakura glanced over at Itachi. He looked at her over his shoulder and his smile almost made her miss her cue.

She was the first to step out of the line. The choreography that Deidara had mostly arranged for this song involved a lot of tutting and popping, which made her relieved that everything had finally clicked for her last month. Now without much thought, she could flex the muscles in her arms and legs to pop her limbs. When she and Deidara took a few steps backward, Sasori, Kisame and Itachi walked between them, filtering to the front. It wasn't as easy to get lost in the music since the moves were still a little rough and everything was concentrating to make sure that they didn't collide with someone else; it was still fun to be moving in time to the same beat. The heavy bass sounded like the thumping of a heart driving her feet on.

When Kisame picked up Sakura by the waist to twirl her, Deidara let out a loud catcall. Itachi stepped on his foot as he passed, making Deidara howl in pain.

Practice went on for a while as they worked out the awkward spaces until everything flowed as smoothly as possible. At some point, Sasuke and Naruto seemed to have forgotten all about doing dishes and were seated in plain sight by the door as they watched everything.

"Wait wait wait. I'm dying. Give me a second, yeah," Deidara panted as he held up his hand.

"Me too. Water, please," Sakura groaned as she peeled off her sweatshirt and rolled up the legs of her sweatpants.

"I'm super-hungry, Kitten. What's for lunch?" Kisame asked.

"She's not your maid, Kisame. Why don't you make something then?" Itachi retorted as he elbowed his friend between his shoulder blades. When Itachi put his arm around Sakura, she simply slumped against his chest and made a vague noise to agree with him.

Since leaving just Kisame alone in the kitchen would almost certainly guarantee food poisoning, it was quickly agreed upon that Itachi should help him. When everyone discovered that Naruto and Sasuke still weren't done with the dishes, Sakura was escorted away by Sasori while Deidara and Kisame put on their most menacing faces.

After a quick meal of surprisingly edible grilled cheese sandwiches, Itachi ran everyone through the routines over and over again until Deidara, fed up and exhausted, threw himself into the swimming pool, effectively ending practice. Hinata, who had obviously grown bored but was too polite to say so, was still sitting on the porch by the time Sakura was finally free to talk. Naruto was sitting right next to Hinata. His hand was resting on top of hers and was most likely the reason for the alarming shade of red Hinata's face had turned. Sasuke was lying lazily on the other side of the porch, a book covering his face as he napped. When Sakura approached, Naruto and Hinata both jumped, as if they had been doing something grievously wrong.

"Everyone says we should head into town for dinner. What do you think?" she asked as she settled on the porch in front of Hinata. As Itachi walked past to shower, she felt his hand touch the top of her head in a gentle pat. Hinata's eyes widened. Hinata waited for Itachi to be completely out of earshot before she leaned in closer to Sakura.

"So what happened last night? Where did you go?" inquired Hinata. Naruto, in a surprising stroke of insight, decided that he wasn't meant to hear this conversation and wandered off to bother Sasuke.

"I couldn't sleep so I went downstairs for some water. Itachi-kun and Kisame-san were hanging out on the porch so I went out to talk with them. And then I convinced him to get in that hammock with me because it's ridiculously comfortable. We fell asleep. That's all," Sakura recounted with a thoughtful expression.

"That's all?" Hinata pressed with a somewhat doubtful expression. It took Sakura a second to process the implications behind Hinata's question. But when she did, Sakura flushed bright pink as she swatted at her friend.

"HINATA-CHAN!" Sakura exclaimed.

"I'm just asking! I'm sorry, Sakura-chan!" Hinata said in an equally shocked tone. Trying to distract herself, Sakura grabbed onto Sasori's arm as he walked past. His bored eyes fell on her. The only indication that he actually cared what she needed was the slight lift in his left eyebrow.

"Dress code, please. Dress? Jeans?" Sakura asked. Sasori rubbed his chin for a moment.

"It's an okay place. Jeans should be alright," he vaguely replied before he drifted off. Hinata's eyes followed him for a long time.

"Um… that person's a little unusual…" Hinata finally commented. Sakura nodded gravely.

"Sasori-san is definitely unusual," she agreed.

Half an hour later, all the guys were gathered in the living room. After their showers, everyone smelled pleasantly of various soaps and shampoos. Kisame hadn't gone to too much trouble with his appearance, choosing a clean black t-shirt and jeans. Sasuke and Naruto seemed perfectly happy to go out in t-shirts and basketball shorts. Though Deidara and Sasori had tried to weasel their way into Sakura's room to meddle with her wardrobe, she had firmly slammed the door shut in their faces.

"Let's go! I'm hungry!" Sakura announced as she happily skipped down the stairs. A high-pitched squeak of approval escaped Deidara as he ran to throw his arms around her.

"I'm so proud of you, My-chan! This is a beautifully coordinated outfit, yeah!" Deidara declared as he made her spin around once for him. Sakura couldn't help but be a little proud of herself too. After the fashion show, Sasori had happily gifted her with all of the clothes he had made for the photo shoot portion of the project. This included a pair of bleached skinny jeans that Sakura had grown to love almost irrationally. They had an amazing ability to make her legs look so incredibly long that she couldn't help but adore them. On top, she wore a long-sleeved t-shirt with blue and white stripes underneath a sleeveless grey hoodie. The kitten necklace she had gotten from Itachi on White Day, as always, lay on her chest, a permanent part of her everyday wardrobe. Deidara spent at least two minutes obsessing over how her lace-up black boots were the single cutest thing he had ever seen her wear on her feet before. This made Sakura feel a little guilty when Hinata timidly followed after dressed in an airy white blouse tucked into a high-waist purple skirt. She was the very image of a doll in sparkling black flats. But after Deidara's tearful cooing, Naruto's excited stutters fell a little short. However, Hinata seemed overjoyed by her boyfriend's half-articulated compliments so Sakura was a little comforted.

"It's a 15-minute walk from here. Be sure to be holding on to your buddy's hand at all times so nobody gets lost," Kisame announced in a nasally voice.

"You heard the man," Itachi said as he reached out to lace his fingers through Sakura's. He looked perfect as usual in dark jeans and a striped blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up in his usual trademark. The first few buttons of his shirt were left undone, revealing the top of a simple white v-neck underneath. Overall, he looked, smelled and sounded very nice, making Sakura wonder what kind of strange twist of fate her given her such a perfect boyfriend.

"Why would you think I'd choose you as my buddy?" Sakura teased as she swung their arms between them.

"Yeah. Quit stealing my buddy, Ikkun," Sasori butted in as he took Sakura's other hand. Sakura stifled a snort of laughter as she watched the smile slide straight off of Itachi's face.

"Wait, then what about us? You expect me to hold hands with Miss Universe over here?" Kisame demanded, jabbing his pointer finger into Deidara's cheek. He yelped when Deidara snarled and bit the offending finger. When Sakura glanced back, she found that Hinata was holding hands with Naruto and laughing as she watched Deidara and Kisame bicker like usual.

Dinner was an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet that was a little loud and a little messy. But by the end of the night, everyone was stuffed full of crab and shrimp and the soft chocolate cakes everyone had fallen in love with. On the walk back to the house, Sakura was so sleepy and full of food that Kisame carried her on his back.

"Are you really sleeping, My-chan?" Deidara asked as he walked behind Kisame to poke her in the forehead. Sakura responded by yawning at him. Though it was barely midnight, by the time everyone stumbled into the foyer, all eyes were drooping. Kisame set Sakura on her feet, making sure that she wouldn't fall over right away. Giving her a light hug, Kisame let out a proud belch and lumbered up to bed. Sasuke and Naruto waved goodnight to everyone and also headed upstairs.

"I'm really sleepy too. I'll see you in a bit, Sakura-chan," Hinata said with a delicate yawn that she hid behind her hand. She took an awkward moment to bow towards Sasori and Deidara sitting lazily on the couch before she hurried off. Itachi finally stepped into the house after taking out the garbage and bringing in the newspaper just in time to see Hinata disappear up the staircase.

"Join us, My-chan. Join the dark side, yeah," Deidara declared as he held out a hand to her. Sasori patted the empty spot between him and Deidara in a further invitation.

"No thank you. I'm really tired. I think I should go to bed too," Sakura said as her head lolled tiredly against her shoulder. Itachi chuckled at her dazed expression.

"Come on. Bedtime," Itachi said as he put his hands on her shoulders.

"NOT WITH YOU, YOU WOLF! YOU BEAST WITH TWO BACKS! NO! YOU HAVE FOUR BACKS AT LEAST! YOU KEEP YOUR PAWS OFF MY-CHAN!" Deidara spewed threats as he watched Itachi guide Sakura up the stairs. Itachi scoffed.

"Is this enough skinship for you now, Sakura?" Itachi asked as Sakura took the steps slowly. She cast him a sleepy yet perplexed look over her shoulder. Then he lightly flexed his fingers and she realized that his palms were resting on her lower back to make sure she didn't tumble down the stairs. She pursed her lips.

"Maybe Deidara-san's right, Mr. Wolf," she sniffed as she took another step. Sakura let out a muffled squeal when she suddenly felt Itachi grab her around the knees. His other hand cradled the back of her head so that when she fell, her head wouldn't be hurt. So suddenly, she was lying on her back. Looking up into Itachi's smirk made butterflies spaz out inside her stomach.

"What was that, Sakura-_chan_?" inquired Itachi in a low voice. The last few weeks had marked some sort of change in Itachi. He wasn't any less gentle or well-mannered and if anything, he had opened up to her more, showing off his wry sense of humor and his sarcasm. But there were these little moments, when they were alone and he would suddenly be so…_alpha_ _male_.

Sakura should have been at least a little panicked. Here was her adult boyfriend hovering over her with a hand planted on either side of her head. She was lying underneath him and Deidara and Sasori had probably already fallen asleep downstairs. Sakura looked up into his dark eyes and part of her already knew that he wouldn't do anything if she pushed him away even as a joke. The usual panic that filled her chest in situations like this was pushed aside by something stronger than curiosity. Sakura wondered if his lips would taste like chocolate if she did kiss him right then. What would he do if she did kiss him right there? Her heart raced as she imagined scenarios, some of them less romantic and more risqué. Still, Itachi just hovered there, neither touching nor pulling away.

"Kiss me," she whispered, flushing at the audacity of her own words.

Itachi was surprised. She could see from the way his eyes widened a little, his eyebrows lifting. Since his hands were occupied with holding him up, Itachi lowered just his head and pressed his mouth to hers in a soft kiss. When he drew back to take a breath, Sakura didn't know what kind of face she was making. But Itachi's eyes narrowed and then his lips were on hers again. Only this time, his mouth was insistent, almost hungry. A sweet flavor she recognized appeared when his tongue suddenly entered her mouth, stroking against hers. She giggled a little and he drew back just enough to whisper the word "what" against her cheek.

"Chocolate," she murmured back. Itachi chuckled in response. As Itachi's attention returned to her mouth, Sakura heard a clatter from downstairs. She lightly shook Itachi's shoulder but he had noticed the sound too. Before they could even begin to disentangle themselves, Sasori calmly climbed the stairs.

"Sorry for the intrusion," he said without any inflection in his voice as he carefully stepped around them. When Sasori continued up the rest of the way without looking back at them, Sakura and Itachi stared. After a moment of stunned silence, Sakura glanced at Itachi's dumbfounded expression and giggled.

"We should get to bed," Itachi sighed. Sakura was inclined to agree a little, despite the pang of disappointment lingering somewhere in the back of her mind. She would die of embarrassment before admitting it out loud, but she liked the feeling of being so close to her boyfriend like this with him looking at her like she was the only thing he could think about. As if he could read her mind, Itachi sat up, watching her like he was trying to gauge her reaction to something. Without saying anything else, Itachi gathered her up in his arms bridal style and walked the rest of the way to her room. Everyone else's doors were already securely shut and there was even telltale snoring from the direction of the room that Sasuke and Naruto were sharing.

"I'm glad that wasn't Deidara. He would've been screeching until both of us went deaf," Itachi sighed as he set Sakura down on her feet.

"He would've woken the whole house," Sakura agreed as she laughed a little. When Itachi wrapped his arms around her waist, Sakura tilted her head back to receive a little good night kiss. To her surprise, Itachi seemed intent on starting off where they had been interrupted. She struggled to pull herself away from his mouth especially when his tongue dragged across hers and her legs turned to jelly. But when she finally did, Sakura pulled at the front of his shirt.

"What if someone catches us?" she hissed. Her words broke off in a squeak as she felt Itachi's lips on the side of her neck.

"They won't," Itachi muttered in response before he pressed a kiss to her exposed collarbone that made her shiver.

"Yes they will but they won't interrupt. Gosh I'm thirsty," Sasori corrected them on his way back downstairs. Sakura and Itachi froze again, their wide eyes locking.

"What is he, some kind of ninja?" Itachi whispered.

"More like some extraterrestrial," Sakura said in response. She pecked Itachi lightly on the lips before she let her hands slip off his shoulders. Itachi didn't look too happy but he still released her.

"Don't make breakfast by yourself in the morning. Come wake me first, alright?" said Itachi in a slightly patronizing tone that made Sakura pout. She crossed her arms over her chest but she couldn't completely hide her smile.

"I will. Good night," Sakura finally agreed. Itachi put his hand on the back of her head to guide her in for one last kiss just as Sasori easily floated upstairs with a glass of water in his hand brandished like a trophy.

"Be sure to use protection, children," Sasori remarked before he disappeared into his room. Sakura couldn't fight the giggles that exploded out of her at the murderous expression on Itachi's face. She spun him around the pushed him in the direction of the stairs.

"Good night," she firmly said when he turned to look back at her. Itachi's mouth curled up in a smile as he watched Sakura slip into the room and shut the door before turning the lock. Hinata was in the bathroom brushing her teeth so Sakura changed into pajamas and grabbed her bag of toiletries. She gabbed happily with her friend as they took turns washing their faces and getting ready to sleep. By the time they crawled into the large bed, Sakura got the feeling that Hinata had something she wanted to say but was too afraid to.

"Hinata-chan?" Sakura prompted after they lay in the darkness for a few minutes.

"Um… how far… how far have you gone? I've only kissed Naruto-kun before and I'm worried he'll get bored with me. What about you?" Hinata timidly inquired after some extra hesitation. Sakura was surprised at herself for not becoming a flustered, blushing mess. She put her finger on her bottom lip as she thought for a moment.

"Kissing. Nothing else," Sakura finally replied.

"Really? But your boyfriend's so mature and probably experienced!" Hinata gasped.

"Well, Hinata-chan, I might be more experienced too if a weird alien with red hair didn't keep saying weird stuff," Sakura retorted as she rolled onto her side to sleep. Sakura knew that Hinata was probably perplexed for a long time as she lay wondering.

* * *

The week went by surprisingly quickly. After the first morning, Itachi was adamant about Sakura not having to cook by herself while everyone sat back and ate after sleeping in. The first time she had ventured up to the third floor to wake Itachi was a somewhat traumatic and hysterical experience. She hadn't realized that Kisame slept only in pants. So she had climbed up the spiral stairs, only to run straight into Kisame's chest.

"Oops! Sorry, Kitten!" Kisame said as he threw his arm around to stop her from falling down the stairs. Sakura yelped as her cheek made contact with Kisame's chest. And exactly at that moment, Itachi's eyes had snapped open, catching a situation that could easily be misinterpreted.

He misinterpreted quite well.

After the second day, when Kisame had sat down to breakfast with a suspicious lump on the back of his head, Sakura waited until Kisame had left on his morning run before she went to wake her stubborn boyfriend. It was like some corny scene out of a romance movie with a well-built young man lying in bed with his head burrowed under the pillows. Since he only wore a dark wifebeater and pants, the defined muscles in his back and shoulders were visible when he moved in his sleep. When she carefully sat on the edge of the mattress to say his name, his head would emerge from the fortress. Itachi always had a vaguely confused expression on his face just as he woke before his eyes would focus on her and he would always smile.

The first time he had pulled her onto the bed and burrowed under the blankets with her, after laughing and struggling for a bit (and squealing when he discovered that her tummy was extremely ticklish), they had managed to fall back asleep. It wasn't so difficult, actually. The bed was warm, the covers soft and lying in Itachi's arms was strangely comforting. In fact, it ended up being one of the most pleasant naps she had had in a while. Inevitably, Deidara had woken up an hour later, knocked on the door and found only a slightly perplexed Hinata. He had decided to charge straight upstairs to find Sakura and Itachi and proceeded to have something resembling a seizure.

After that, Sakura was careful to avoid being yanked into the lure of a ridiculously pleasant nap. Instead, she learned that if shaking him didn't work, she would only need to whisper his name against his ear for his eyes to snap open. Before he could grab hold of her, she would prance away to the kitchen where he would be forced to follow.

Dance practice happened for a couple hours each day after breakfast where Hinata and Naruto would usually go take a walk on the beach and Sasuke would read a book or take another nap. Lunch, some tanning on the beach or a few rounds of beach volleyball and then dinner would follow. Sakura had discovered that Hinata was extremely self-conscious about the size of her chest and made every effort to tone this down with overly-modest bathing suits. But she had finally convinced Hinata that the dark purple tankini she had brought was definitely not lewd and that she most certainly did not look like one of those indecent girls who sold themselves to strange old men at night. After a few days of this process, Sakura had gotten a pleasant tan while Deidara managed to once again turn into a lobster.

Sakura didn't quite understand what had gotten into her boyfriend. Maybe it was the vacation. Maybe it was the fact that warm weather was coming back again so she was wearing shorts again. Or maybe it was because he saw her in the simple red and white-striped bikini Deidara and Sasori had gotten for her. At any rate, almost every chance they were alone, he would steal kisses from her in the kitchen or pull her into the laundry room while everyone else was busy picking out a movie to watch that night. There was a small red hickey on her shoulder that she hid quite successfully under the sleeve of her t-shirt. But every time Itachi caught a glimpse of it, a strange look of satisfaction would pass over his face that Sakura almost felt bad for liking.

Saturday night, their last night at the beach house, was Deidara's birthday. Though some drinks were passed around, Sakura politely declined, meaning that Hinata, Sasuke and Naruto were able to refuse without feeling guilty either. Since neither Itachi nor Sasori were particularly big fans of drinking, the alcohol was left to pass between Kisame and Deidara. After a long night of barbeque in the backyard and talking and laughing, everyone retreated back to the living room to watch a horror movie. Sakura would have been terrified by the copious amounts of serial killers and fake blood gushing from every scene, but she fell asleep against Itachi's shoulder about 10 minutes in. Deidara, who had put his head on Sakura's lap, was snoozing quite happily soon after. In the end, only Sasori was awake to see the fate of the hero.

The next morning, while Sakura was busy nursing Deidara out of his hangover, the rest of the boys loaded the cars with suitcases. Deidara, armed with sunglasses and a large bottle of water, rode with Sasori, Kisame and Naruto (who had grown surprisingly close to Kisame during the week). This left Hinata and Sasuke to snooze in the backseat of Itachi's car on the drive back home. Sakura curled up in the front seat, trying not to giggle and wake her friends each time Itachi's fingers would brush over her knee.

"Any big plans for your birthday next month?" Sakura asked, trying to distract him as she held his hand to stop him from tickling her again. Itachi's expression sobered.

"You know when my birthday is? I don't remember telling you," he said.

"Mikoto-san mentioned is once. So no plans?"

Itachi's sudden silence confused her. She gasped when Itachi turned away from the road to lean across the space between them and kiss her. Sakura pushed his face, trying to get him to focus back on his driving, making him laugh.

"It's your fault for being too adorable," he told her and Sakura shook her head.

"Stop being gross when I'm trying to sleep, you two," Sasuke groaned from the backseat. Sakura blushed as she pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her face and sunk down in her seat.

* * *

The month of May slid by in an easy haze of comfort and fun. Schoolwork was manageable, any business for the student council was easily handled and filed away. Early in the month, the school had held elections for the position of historian had brought in a freshman by the name of Inari. Inari had gotten off on a rather rough start in the student council. During their first meeting, he had pointed at Sakura's cartilage piercing and declared it a violation of school policy. Sakura, who had been running particularly low on sleep that day, picked up the school manual, flipped it open to the page in question and slammed it down in front of the boy.

"Male students will be forbidden from having cartilage, lip or eyebrow piercings in order to preserve the school's image. In addition, female students are restricted from having facial piercings as well as piercings in any place other than ears," Sakura recited without looking at the words. Udon and Moegi stood over her shoulders, trying their best not to laugh too hard at the look of horror on the freshman's place. Since then, he had become strangely docile towards Sakura and a little frightened.

Hyuuga Neji came to visit once. The second he had stepped into the office, Moegi and Udon had scrambled around like chickens with their heads cut off while Sakura greeted him with a smile. He saw the rejection stamp held in her hand and nodded approvingly.

"Keeping this place from collapsing completely, I see," he commented while Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Excuse **you**, Hyuuga-senpai, but I believe I might have surpassed even the mighty you," Sakura retorted with a fake sniff. And she was secretly glad that they had become friends before he had graduated.

Midterms season was a source of great stress and torment for most. Sakura took it a little easier than usual, taking time to sleep a few hours a day and remembering to eat some of her meals. In the end, Shikamaru, who had received a verbal threat of death from his mother, had jumped to 2nd place with Sasuke taking 1st. She had taken a very respectable 3rd while Naruto had cheered about staying out of the bottom 50. With everyone deciding which university to attend or whether they were attending university at all, the nervous cramming from all her classmates struggling to raise their rankings was expected.

"My-chan, where are you planning to apply for school?" Deidara asked one day after practice. As Sakura sat on the floor stretching her legs while waiting for her hair to dry, Sakura blinked at him.

"Here, obviously. Don't be silly, Deidara-san," Sakura simply said.

"Oh….. Fishy, you hear that? You hear that, yeah?" Deidara called. Kisame came running into the room with an ice pop sticking out of his mouth.

"MY-CHAN WANTS TO COME TO KONOHA U! SHE'LL BE OUR CUTE LITTLE UNDERCLASSMAN!" Deidara howled, throwing himself at Kisame who spun him around with his own happy whoop. As Sakura stared at the cheering duo with a mixture of amusement and disgust, Itachi walked into the studio with Sasori in tow.

"…I think I broke them," Sakura admitted as the three of them stood watching. Sasori shook his head.

"They were born defective, Sakura-chan. We should get a refund," Sasori corrected her as he walked over to smack some sense into both of them.

* * *

Review please! Let me know what you thought. Let me know what you want! Except for a pony or a castle because those are things I can't give you no matter how much I love you all for being such great readers.

*Golden Week is a week in Japan where everyone has off work and school because there are a few national holidays that all fall in about a week's span.


	17. Stupid

Nobody hit me with rocks. I've had the worst case of writer's block but now I feel like I can finally get something done again. I apologize in advance if this chapter seems a little all over the place but this is what I humbly call a writer's insanity so please forgive me. Thanks, as always, to all my amazing readers and reviewers. If I have time, I might start posting the sketches I have of everyone's clothing and stuff. Or not.

Enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Fancy Footwork

Chapter 17: Stupid

"SUSHI!" Kisame crowed as he waved the stack of coupons in Sakura's face. Sakura responded by plucking the sheets from his fingers and handing them off to Sasori who promptly stuck them down the back of Deidara's shirt. They laughed together, exchanging high-fives as they watched Kisame roar and stuff his hand down Deidara's shirt, trying to fish out the coupons instead of logically lifting up the hem from the bottom.

"STOP MOLESTING ME, YOU CANNIBAL! HOW DARE THOU CONSUME THY BRETHREN? THY FISHY BRETHREN!" Deidara wailed, thrashing his arms around while Kisame tried to hold him down. Sasori handed off a lollipop to Sakura before he opened up one of his own and calmly stuck it into his mouth. Sakura copied him, letting the sweet grape flavor flood her mouth as she giggled at Deidara's horrified expression.

"What…" Itachi trailed off as he stood in the doorway with a plastic bag dangling from his wrist. Both his hands were in the pockets of his black sweatpants. When he saw Sakura smiling innocently, he let out a little sigh.

"You know, I distinctly remember you being a shy but kind-hearted girl when I first met you, Sakura," Itachi remarked as he avoided Deidara twisting around to gnaw on Kisame's arm and sat down next to her on the floor.

"I'm not sure if I should be insulted or not," Sakura mumbled in response as she dug into the plastic bag to pull out bottled water. She tossed one into Sasori's lap before she flopped onto her back with one of her own.

"Be insulted and break up with him. Then you and I can elope to Fiji and open up a small café that we'll call _Saso x Saku_," Sasori suggested while poking Sakura in the side. The sounds of Kisame and Deidara wrestling suddenly stopped. Sasori looked up only when he realized that everyone was staring at him with identical looks of blank shock. Sakura didn't even bother to sit up as she rolled away from him and closer to Itachi.

"Sasori-san, you're so **weird**!" Sakura groaned.

"That's not right, Sakura-chan. Try calling me 'Dear' or 'Sugar-Pie'," Sasori corrected with the same look of calm seriousness that he always seemed to wear.

Sakura flopped around uselessly on the floor, laughing loudly while Itachi slowly moved to put himself in between his girlfriend and Sasori.

"Nah. I'd go for something more like 'Onii-chan', yeah," Deidara snorted as he sat down on the floor next to Sasori. While he was busy, Kisame lifted up the edge of Deidara's shirt and finally retrieved the coupons for free sushi that they had won the day before. The competition had been poor and a few of their easier routines were more than enough to win the judges' hearts. They had received five coupons (one for each member) but they had promptly been given to Kisame who had proceeded to do a backflip in celebration.

"You'd want your wife to call you 'Onii-chan', Deidara. I was right. You're secretly a pervert with a lolicon who wants to prey on young girls," Kisame teased, earning a solid punch in the gut. As the two continued to squabble like usual, Sakura sat up to gulp down some water. She fanned herself with her hand. The weather was steadily getting warmer, warm enough that it was already time for her to start wearing her summer uniform instead of the winter one. Kisame, who was a walking furnace, was already shirtless, rolling around on the ground and laughing while Deidara snickered.

"Are you doing anything this Saturday?" Itachi suddenly asked. Sakura, holding up her water bottle to her mouth, blinked at him a few times.

"Well, I was planning on sleeping in and doing laundry. Why?" she responded, trying to ignore Kisame and Deidara's stares over Itachi's shoulders. They leered together, waggling their eyebrows and making the strangest faces.

"Good. Don't make plans. We're going on a date," Itachi declared before he turned around to smack Deidara and Kisame's heads together. They groaned in unison.

"Great. I'll keep Saturday open too," Sasori butted in, earning an exasperated look from Sakura.

* * *

Friday night, after dance practice and some warm udon for dinner with the rest of the team, Sakura sat in the living room.

"So I'll be home in September. I got some paid vacation days left so let's spend lots of time together," Kirie said. Sakura idly picked some lint off of her leggings as she listened to her mother rattle off a list of places she wanted to go and things she wanted to eat. As she half-paid attention, her eyes drifted to her cell phone. Though she didn't get the calls once a day anymore, about every two or three days, the number she had learned to recognize would flash across the screen. She considered asking her mother about it. But when she started paying attention again, she realized that Kirie had gone on to talk about what kinds of clothes she had bought to bring home from Paris.

"There's this darling little blouse tha-"

"Mom, did Dad have any siblings?"

It went completely silent for a tense moment.

"No, sweetheart, he was an only child," Kirie finally replied. Sakura could hear the false cheeriness in her voice.

"Why? Is something wrong, Sakura?"

"Just wondering," Sakura vaguely said in response.

They chatted a little longer about other things before Sakura bade her mother good night. As if it knew what she was doing, as soon as she set the house phone in its cradle, Sakura's cell phone rang. And the numbers that were by now burned into the inside of her skull blinked angrily across the screen. She let it ring once, staring blankly at the digits while listening to the cheerful melody of her ringtone. The second time, her fingers inched toward it. She could easily let it go to voicemail or even shove her phone under a throw pillow until it finally fell silent. Instead, she found her fingers swiping across the smooth screen to accept the call.

"Hello? Hello? Sakura?"

The strength drained out of her hand as soon as she heard the voice again. There was no mistaking it. It was a voice she had once loved to dearly, had strained to hear it whenever she walked up the short steps to her parents' café. It was warm and deep and it made her think of the smell of sweet coffee and sugary pastries.

"Sakura? Sakura!"

Her fingers were trembling so badly that she barely managed to end the call before burying her face in her hands. A quiet sob left her mouth that she tried to muffle against her shoulder.

And then the house phone rang.

She didn't even need to check the caller ID to know that it was the same number.

It rang exactly four times before it stopped. Still shaking uncontrollably, she grabbed her cell phone, frantically searching for a name in her contact list. Tears blurred her eyes as she hugged a throw pillow to her chest. She waited. After two rings, she heard a yawn and then Itachi's voice, still raspy from sleep.

"Sakura?"

"I….I…"

"Sakura," Itachi said while all traces of sleepiness vanished from his tone. Her fingers curled tighter around the phone as fresh tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. Just the gentle way he called her name filled her with a profound sense of relief. But just relief wasn't enough. Sakura flinched when the house phone began ringing again.

"I need you," she choked out. She took a deep, shuddering breath. Almost immediately, she heard crackling and rustling as Itachi probably jumped out of bed and began pulling on clothes.

"Are you hurt?" he demanded. He was slightly out of breath and she could hear the rush of wind as he ran outside.

"Don't hang up. Keep talking to me. What happened?"

Sakura hiccupped, making every effort to stop the tremors running through her body. She swallowed, trying her best to form words.

"The phone…" she managed to say before more tears spilled down her cheeks. She could hear the car door slam and then the engine of his car rumble to life.

"I'm just really scared. What do I do?" Sakura babbled, wincing when the house phone wailed again. The cheerful tune of the ring sounded like a sick joke that pierced her ears.

"It's going to be alright, Sakura," he said with so much conviction that she almost believed him for a moment. He kept rambling over and over as he drove. She had never heard Itachi this panicked before and if she hadn't been on the brink of ripping her own hair out, she would have found it somewhat funny. Instead, she focused on listening to his voice. She didn't exactly hear his words but she listened to the cadence, the rise and fall of his words, the way he would finish his sentence with a slight lift if he wanted to know if she was still listening. So she made little noises of assent, not really comprehending what he was saying.

"I'm outside your apartment. Can you get to the door?" She heard those particular words with startling clarity. Blinking rapidly, she turned around to peer out past the curtains. She caught a glimpse of Itachi half-running, half-falling up the stairs to get to the third floor landing. Her limbs moved mechanically, automatically lifting her from the sofa to walk over to the front door. As soon as she undid the bolt and popped the chain open, the knob twisted and Itachi practically exploded into the apartment.

Itachi didn't say a single word as he grabbed her and hugged her close. His heart was pounding furiously underneath her cheek and his chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. He was all sweaty and disheveled and then he was pulling back to look into her eyes.

"Are you alright?" he demanded. Then his gaze was darting around her home before returning to her. When the house phone began ringing again, she flinched. Her fingers curled into the front of his shirt as she tried desperately not to start sobbing.

"Oh," Itachi breathed in a voice filled with realization. He stepped away from her, leaving her clutching at air. A little hurt by his actions, Sakura turned around to watch him stride over to the phone and rip its plug from the outlet. He stood in the middle of the living room, hands on his hips as he took a long time to think. When Sakura's cell phone started to ring too, he quickly grabbed it and popped the battery out of the back.

"Go pack a bag. You'll stay with me while I figure all this out," Itachi snapped. Even though his anger wasn't directed at her, it still made her jump a little. He noticed and tried to put on an apologetic smile. Sakura mutely made her way to her bedroom and found her favorite light blue duffel bag. As she puttered around quickly folding clothes and stacking them in the bottom of the bag, she heard Itachi's footsteps pacing nervously in the foyer. She had never seen him act so… not-composed, not-perfect before and she couldn't decide what to feel.

Sakura jumped when Itachi suddenly appeared in the doorway. He had taken off his shoes so he hadn't made much noise walking down the hall.

"I'm going to call the phone company on Monday," he simply said, crossing his arms over his chest. Sakura nodded as she brushed past him to grab a few things from the bathroom. She ducked under his arm to re-enter her bedroom. She remembered to take her school uniform off the hanger and folded it into a neat bundle that she hugged against her chest. She picked up her bag because even if she knew Itachi would never let her carry it, having that normal part of their relationship was a big comfort to her. Smiling like he knew what she was doing, Itachi just held out his palm to her. Sakura let out an exaggerated sigh as she dropped the strap into his hand. She stubbornly refused to relinquish hold over her schoolbag and uniform though.

Itachi slung the bag over his right shoulder before putting his arm around Sakura and leading her out of the apartment. The 10-minute ride to his place was quiet except for the muted croon of the music on the radio. When Itachi pulled into the small parking lot behind his apartment building, Sakura was still staring blankly out the window. She started when she realized that the passenger side door was open and Itachi was peering down at her. His right arm rested on top of the car, legs casually crossed.

"Let's go inside. It looks like it might rain," Itachi said when her eyes finally met his. Nodding mutely, Sakura took his outstretched hand and followed him through the parking lot and into the brightly-lit lobby. She watched him pause to check his mailbox before he took her hand again and pulled her toward the elevator. She still remembered the inside of the elevator with its mirrored walls and silver buttons from when Kisame had carried her after she had hurt her ankle.

"Do you have any spare blankets? I'll take the couch," Sakura said when they stepped into his apartment. The familiar sight of the dark wood floors and the deep grey walls was slightly less comforting when it was just her with Itachi. There were books and papers spread all over the coffee sofa and the floor and his messenger bag was tossed carelessly on top of the kitchen table. The umbrella stand by the door had toppled over, probably from when he had hurriedly yanked his jacket off the coat rack right next to it. Sakura politely stepped out of her shoes and nudged them to the side before she stepped onto the wood floor. It was cool and smooth underneath her toes.

"My mom would haunt me in my nightmares if she knew I made you sleep on the couch. Take the bed. I was planning on studying all night anyway," Itachi sighed as he moved past her. She watched him disappear into one of the rooms- The last time she had been here she had only managed to hobble from the couch to the bathroom. The doors on either side of the one leading to the bathroom were a mystery to her. She waited until Itachi emerged from the door on the far left, a dark blue blanket held in his arms. He dropped it at the end of the sofa before he looked at her.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. Swallowing thickly, she slowly shuffled over to the coffee table to look over his notes and the stray handouts scattered around. It almost looked as if Itachi had dumped out the contents of his bag onto the surface.

"Do you have a big exam to study for?" she asked as she scanned the unfamiliar legal jargon written in big kanji characters. He let out a huge sigh that more than answered his question.

"If I'm being a bother, I can always go stay with a friend-" she nervously began, hugging her school uniform closer to her chest. This time, Itachi's sigh was close enough that it ruffled the loose wisps of her bun, tickling the back of her neck. He reached one arm around her to close the textbook and shove it to the side.

"You're **not** a bother. I sort of dragged you so it's you who has to put up with me for a bit, Sakura," Itachi corrected. Sakura looked over her shoulder to meet Itachi's crooked smile that immediately made blood rush to her cheeks. Sometimes it almost irritated her how perfect her boyfriend's smile was. Now was most certainly not one of those times. As if he could read her thoughts (because he was Uchiha Itachi and perfect like that), he dipped his head to press a soft kiss to her right cheek.

"Spoiling you is part of my job," he added with a little chuckle.

So, feeling slightly more embarrassed but a lot less worried, Sakura let Itachi give her a tour of his place. It turned out that the door to the left of the bathroom led to his bedroom. There was a small loft that she climbed up to and found a low bed along with simple black nightstands flanking either side of it. Underneath the loft sat a tall black dresser. The room was simple and organized, just like what she would have expected from Itachi. Realizing that she was staring at his bed for a little too long, Sakura cleared her throat and quickly dragged Itachi out of the room.

"And this is my office," he said, opening the door that sat to the right of the one leading to the bathroom. It was a rather narrow space, only made narrower by the fact that the two longest walls were completely hidden from view by the bookcases that extended from floor to ceiling. Each shelf was packed with different-colored tomes. Sakura's mouth opened in a soft 'o' of surprise as she ran her fingers along the spines, recognizing some titles and struggling to read others. Pushed up against the far wall, right under the only window in the room, sat a black desk with shining silver legs. Itachi's white laptop sat in the middle, surrounded by various papers and more textbooks along with an empty coffee mug.

"You know where the bathroom is and there's a washer and dryer right here just in case you need it," Itachi explained once they left the study, pointing to the small room just across the hall from his bedroom that she hadn't noticed before. Then they stood awkwardly in the hallway, neither really sure of what to do. It was Sakura who couldn't stand the tension so she faked a loud yawn.

"Um well I'm actually kind of sleepy so I think I'll try to get some rest," she said, knowing that her yawn had been horribly unconvincing. But Itachi just smiled. Sakura took her duffel bag from him and then began walking to the bedroom. Mid-step, she stopped and turned on her heel.

"Good night, Itachi-kun," Sakura squeaked out as she desperately tried not to sound too nervous. She failed miserably, of course, but Itachi, ever the gentleman, smoothed things over with a little chuckle.

"Good night, Sakura," he replied before she lost all nerve and practically ran into the bedroom.

Cheeks still blazing bright pink, Sakura dropped all her stuff on the floor and stood pulling on her hair. It hadn't quite hit her when she was still shell-shocked from the phone call, but she had agreed to stay in her boyfriend's home at least until Monday. He was a perfectly healthy young man and she was his perfectly healthy young girlfriend who was having trouble keeping images of his smirking mouth and dark eyes out of her mind. She gave herself a solid minute to silently berate herself and freak out before she slapped her palms to her cheeks and opened up her bag to pull out her pajamas. At least some part of her hadn't been completely clueless when she had been packing. She had brought along white and pink striped pants that fell to her knees along with a loose white t-shirt that had a picture of a big bumblebee on it. There was nothing suggestive or lewd about it.

Absolutely nothing.

* * *

When Sakura came out of his bedroom changed into her pajamas, Itachi quickly turned away to pretend to be busy tidying up the living room. The shirt was at least two sizes too big for her. And the light gold sheen she had picked up at the Uchiha family's beach house during Golden Week hadn't quite faded. It took a lot of will power to stop himself from doing whatever his body had instinctively wanted to do. Itachi made a mental note not to mock Deidara ever again for being a pervert.

Sakura was obviously still uncomfortable, only flashing a brief smile at him before ducking into the bathroom where he could hear the sink running. Though he had considered having her stay at his parents' house, he knew that his Uncle Madara, his father's older brother, was staying there for the month and that Madara's love of pretty girls wasn't something he was leaving his girlfriend even remotely close to. While her friend Hinata's house didn't sound too unsafe, she still doubted that a timid girl Sakura's age would be able to offer much protection either. Despite this, despite all the logical reasons he tried to tell himself, Itachi put his face in his hands, suddenly feeling like the biggest creep in the world.

When Sakura came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, Itachi was on the sofa, pretending to be engrossed in taking notes from his book. Her footsteps were soft, almost cautious and he heard the click of a lock when she closed the door behind her. He was somewhat relieved that she was smart enough to remember that he was a man.

He forced himself to focus on his work and before he realized it, it was morning and a pleasant smell was tickling the inside of his nose.

* * *

Sakura woke at around 7. It was ridiculous. She had lain awake in Itachi's surprisingly comfortable bed until at least 1 am, so nervous and excited that her racing mind had refused to let her rest. The comforter was dark blue and smelled just like him, always reminding her that this was the place where her boyfriend laid at night to sleep.

But her eyes had stubbornly snapped open at 7 am. There wasn't any noise to blame. It was just time for her body to apparently wake. So she sat up in bed, staring at the perfectly white ceiling for a while until she realized that she needed to pee. She climbed down from the loft and slipped out into the rest of the apartment. The smell of coffee was still heavy in the air and she spotted that the milk had been left out on the counter. When she peered around the corner into the living room, Sakura found Itachi sprawled out on the couch, his glasses still on.

So after she went to the bathroom and washed up, she tip-toed to the living room. She cringed the whole way there, hoping that none of the floorboards would creak. Thankfully, she made it all the way to the couch without waking him. With careful fingers, she plucked his glasses from his face and then picked up the blanket that had fallen to the floor. After settling the thick blanket over him, Sakura left his glasses on the coffee table on top of his books.

Instead of leaving him to rest like she had planned to, Sakura found herself sitting on the armrest She put her elbows on her knees, hunching over to watch him sleep. The soft pattern of his deep breaths and gentle rise and fall of his chest were all strangely comforting. Holding her breath, she found the courage to run her pointer finger along his left cheek. His brow furrowed for a moment before his expression evened out again. Giggling a little to herself, she did it again and this time he let out an exasperated huff.

"Sasuke, I'm too tired to play with you. Go bother mom," he groaned, reaching up and putting his hand on the back of her head. Sakura let out a squeal when he suddenly pulled her down, squishing her against his chest. The noises made Itachi's eyes snap open, darting around until they landed on the splash of pink cradled against him. And Sakura looked up at him with wide eyes as she tried to struggle free from his grasp.

"Um… uh…. Good morning?" Sakura squeaked out, her cheeks slowly turning bright red.

"….Good morning," Itachi replied and she watched a soft pink color creep up on his face too.

Her legs were pinned beneath him, twisted up awkwardly in between his. His left hand was tangled in her hair, the right wrapped around her waist. A nervous giggle left her as she realized that Itachi was probably just as shocked as she was.

"I'm sorry. I was having a nightmare that Sasuke wouldn't stop bothering me," he explained and Sakura tried not to feel too bad that it was partly her fault.

"That's alright but… uh…. Can I get up?" Sakura requested, turning a fresh shade of pink. After some struggling and extra blushing, they managed to untangle their limbs. Sakura stood, half-afraid that she might seriously decide to lie right back down because her position, though embarrassing and awkward, had been supremely comfortable.

"Are you hungry?" Itachi quickly asked, trying to divert their attention to a less traumatic topic as he sat up. Sakura scowled as she shoved him back down by the shoulders. Itachi's eyes widened as he stared up at her. And then, embarrassed by how bold she had been, she quickly pulled her hands away.

"The coffee pot's still hot. When did you go to sleep?" Sakura demanded. Itachi let out a soft groan as he rubbed his eyes. He lifted his left arm to check his wristwatch.

"About… half an hour ago?" he sighed, letting his arm flop down.

"Oh gosh. I'm so sorry for waking you. I'll get out your way," Sakura gasped. But Itachi's fingers grabbed the edge of her loose t-shirt.

"No. Wait. I promised that today's the day we'd go on a date," Itachi grunted as he sat up again. Sakura put her hands on her hips.

"You're going to sleep. We can go on a date after," she firmly said as a frown pulled at her mouth. He looked ready to argue but then he eyed the enormous stack of books piled by him and he decided that sleeping might be the best way to preserve sanity. So, she watched him lie back down before she decided that it was a good time to take a shower. But when she was done with her shower, she decided to kill extra time by using all the skin products Deidara had practically shoved down her throat. Though he had listed off what order to use them in and what each little bottle did, she decided to go from the products that were lightest to the heaviest cream that smelled a little like roses since she hadn't really listened to his long-winded speech anyway. She dried her hair with a towel and sat on the edge of the bed to stretch her arms and legs out.

After she dug in her duffel bag, she managed to find a light yellow sundress made from soft tiered fabric. It had been one of the gifts from Sasori after the fashion show that she had never had a chance to wear before. Since the back dipped a little too low for her liking, she put on a plain white t-shirt before pulling the dress over her head. After twirling around in front of the mirror a few times, Sakura decided that she looked pretty good.

Her eyes drifted to the digital clock sitting on Itachi's nightstand. A sigh escaped her mouth when she realized that it was barely past 8 am. She glanced around the room until her eyes landed on her school bag sitting innocently on the floor. Although it wasn't the most appealing option, she did have a fair amount of work and she also had some paperwork for the student council that she had brought with her over the weekend. Though it was still a few months off, the budget requests for the school cultural festival in October needed to be submitted and approved by the end of next week. So she gathered all her papers into her arms and tip-toed out to the round kitchen table.

Sakura helped herself to a cup of still-warm coffee with plenty of milk and sugar before she set to work. Though towards the beginning of the previous year, Neji had pushed off a lot of his paperwork to her, he had kept the particularly hard tasks for himself. The budget for the cultural festival must have been one of those difficult things. It took careful calculation to figure out about how much each class would need without wasting the school's money. Ideally, each class would make back their budget money with some income, but she knew that the lazier classes generally ended up having little to no profit. If she gave too little money, all the classes would struggle to get their projects done. Too much would result in the school board rejecting the proposal. By the time she had finished off most of her math homework, scratched out a rough number to type up in a report later and signed off a few more requests, she was so engrossed in her work that she barely heard one of the cabinet doors creak open.

Her head snapped around just in time to see Itachi yawning as he reached for a mug. Rubbing the back of his neck, he set the mug down on the counter and filled it with mostly cooled coffee.

"Milk's back in the refrigerator. I thought it might spoil," she said as she propped her chin up in her hand. This time, he yawned so hard that she heard his jaw crack. He yanked the refrigerator door open and poured milk into his mug before he stuck the carton back inside and closed the door with his foot. Slowly clicking a spoon around in the cold mixture, Itachi settled in the chair to her left.

"What time is it?" he asked in a voice still scratchy with sleep.

"Um, 10:40," Sakura replied as she peeked at the clock hanging over the sink before she went back to sorting and clipping papers together. She started when Itachi suddenly slumped over, letting his head fall on her shoulder.

"If you're still tired, you should get some more sleep," she softly said as she finished stacking everything in one neat pile. Itachi shook his head as he straightened, cracking his shoulders in the process.

"I'll be ready by 11. Do you mind if I reclaim my room for a little bit?" Itachi said as he got out of his chair. When Sakura shook her head, he paused to peck her on the cheek before he stood and headed off to the bathroom. Sakura kept her eyes firmly glued to the table when she heard the bathroom door open about 10 minutes later. She could feel the steam radiating from the room and she didn't have confidence in her ability not to ogle Itachi if he happened to just be in his towel. It was only when the bedroom door quietly closed that she thought it safe to look around again.

"Have you eaten anything yet?" Itachi asked a few minutes later. Sakura stretched her arms high over her head as she twisted around toward his voice. His hair had grown back out surprisingly quickly since his last haircut. She watched him tie it back in its usual ponytail as he walked towards her. She pointed at the empty mug sitting next to her hand.

"I stole some coffee but that's it," Sakura admitted just as her stomach let out a little gurgle.

"Brunch it is," Itachi chuckled as he grabbed his keys off the counter. Sakura stood up too, slinging a little black cross-body bag across her chest that contained her phone and whatever else she had managed to wedge into the tiny inside.

Itachi led them to an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant that had just opened up close to Konoha University's campus. Since it was early, the restaurant was still relatively quiet and service was quick. They sat by big glass windows, sharing spicy tuna rolls wrapped in mango and watching people walk past. They tried all kinds of different rolls, some less tasty than others but just as fun to eat. Itachi's foot nudged hers under the table as the waiter brought out another platter of colorful sushi. As Sakura lifted a roll to her lips, she felt Itachi's foot tap hers again and she blinked questioningly at him. She looked from him to her chopsticks before she smiled and popped the sushi into his mouth.

When they were stuffed and the waiter dropped off the check, Itachi slid the little leather booklet towards him before Sakura could reach.

"I'm older than you and I have a job," Itachi said before she could even open her mouth to protest. She scowled at him all the while he counted out bills. When he pulled out extra money to leave as a tip, Sakura whipped out the crisp bills she had secretly been counting out under the table and slapped them down in front of him. Itachi tried his best not to smile at her determined expression as he put the rest of his money back into his wallet.

"Where are we going now?" inquired Sakura as they walked out of the restaurant. She slipped her hand into Itachi's as they began traveling down the sidewalk.

"There's a free concert I thought you might like," Itachi replied. The long walk to the park across the street from his apartment was pleasant. It was one of the rare sunny and perfectly cloudless days that Sakura absolutely adored. She hummed happily as they walked into the park where a stage had been set up under the shade of two large ginkgo trees. There were already some people milling around as the musicians did final sound checks. Sakura and Itachi joined the spectators, their fingers interlocked so they wouldn't get separated in the chattering throng.

When the music started up, an infectious electronic beat pounded out from the speakers. Even if the group was completely new and nobody knew the words to their songs, the tune was catchy enough that almost everybody in the crowd was waving their arms around or jumping up and down. By the second song, Sakura was bobbing her head along, lost in the beat. Her eyes popped open when Itachi tugged on her hand and spun her around in a circle. A laugh left her mouth that was drowned out in the song as they began dancing, not caring about the few stares directed at them. By the end of the hour-long concert, everyone around them was dancing too with their heads thrown back and smiles spreading their mouths. Even though several people cheered for an encore, the musicians bowed modestly and began packing up their sound equipment. Eyes still sparkling with excitement, Sakura followed Itachi as he travelled down the stone path leading out of the park.

"I'm guessing you had fun," Itachi said with a smile when Sakura skipped happily alongside him.

"I've never been to a live concert before. You're the best," Sakura sang as they stood at a crosswalk, waiting for the little white man to light up so they could proceed. And as they waited, Sakura rose on her tiptoes to kiss Itachi. His eyes widened.

"Thank you. I had a lot of fun," Sakura said as a faint blush bloomed on her cheeks. Her smile faded when Itachi's eyebrow rose.

"You've been getting rather bold lately, Sakura," he remarked as he slid his arm around her waist. Her face immediately turned bright pink as she tried to look away from him and feign ignorance. But he let the teasing drop at that when the light changed and they crossed the busy avenue. As Itachi's apartment building came into view, Sakura glanced down at her cell phone.

"It's barely 6 but I'm starving," Sakura sighed as she patted her stomach. It growled pathetically in response.

"I'm in the mood for curry. What about you, Itachi-kun?" she suddenly declared.

"Curry?" Itachi slowly repeated as he tried to remember what nearby restaurants served curry. But Sakura was the one leading them now with big, confident steps. Itachi went along with her, unsure of just where she was planning to go until she stopped in front of a local supermarket. She snatched up a plastic red basket from the stack by the door and headed inside. Itachi followed after, unable to really process what was going on until Sakura looked over her shoulder at him.

"Do you have rice?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Good," Sakura responded before she skipped off to the produce section. Letting out a heavy sigh, Itachi caught up to her and plucked the basket from her hand. She was so engrossed in picking out the perfect potato that she barely protested. Years of practically living alone had graced Sakura with the incredible power to pick out some of the best vegetables while shopping. A perfectly round onion, a handful of fingerling potatoes, a bunch of carrots, and another bunch of green beans all went into the basket.

"Is there… going to be any meat?" Itachi slowly asked when Sakura began picking out crisp pea pods out of the giant display.

"Why? Do you hate peas?" Sakura demanded, her eyes suddenly going wide with panic. Had she unknowingly picked out all the vegetables that Itachi hated with a burning passion? But he was smiling, not frowning with immense hatred for the produce in their basket.

"No. I was just curious about whether you were planning to use beef or chicken," Itachi assured her. Her forehead smoothed out as she glanced around the rest of the produce section.

"Hmm… today's a chicken day, I think," Sakura said mostly to herself as she nodded a little. After she had picked out a bag of perfectly green peas and some peaches that smelled too good not to buy, they headed off to the meat section. Sakura stood poking and prodding at the plastic-covered chicken breasts, her forehead puckering whenever she found something dissatisfying.

"You're like a picky housewife," Itachi chuckled when Sakura finally chose a package of chicken and placed it in the basket. Sakura shrugged, completely unoffended.

"I need to take care of myself. That includes what's going into my body," she replied distractedly as her eyes roved around for whatever other ingredients she might need. A box of curry mix and a quart of strawberry ice cream were added to their haul before they headed to the cash register. When Itachi reached into his back pocket, Sakura knocked her hip into his to push him out of the way and pulled out her small silver wallet.

"I'm the one cooking and you paid for lunch," she argued without looking at him. So, laughing a little, Itachi obliged and settled for punishing her by not letting her carry either of the two plastic bags filled with their groceries.

Dinner was warm chicken curry that was just spicy enough to make them drink a ton of water. They laughed at each other when tears sprang up in their eyes from the heat. Mouths still burning, Itachi did the dishes while Sakura dried and stacked them in the cabinets. And then they cooled down their tongues with plenty of sweet ice cream. As Sakura brought another monstrous spoonful to her lips, her cell phone buzzed from inside her bag. She immediately recognized the tone set for text messages and crossed the room to check who it was from.

_Working on a new piece. Need your advice. Free tomorrow?_

_-Konan_

Sakura stared at the message for a solid minute before she typed back a quick reply.

"What's wrong? Did Kisame finally kill Deidara?" Itachi asked when she tossed her phone aside and settled back down at the kitchen table. Her nose wrinkled as she shook her head.

"Konan-san wants me to give her some advice on a new sculpture. I think I'll probably go see her around 10 tomorrow morning," Sakura explained before she chomped down on some more ice cream. Her eyes wandered over to Itachi while she chewed.

"Deidara-san and Konan-san haven't talked since then… right?" she slowly inquired as she remembered Deidara's stiff expression of simultaneous horror and disgust every time he even saw Konan in passing. It was a little sad. Sakura loved Konan's cool composure and her confidence. But she also loved Deidara and hated seeing him hurt. She sighed as she propped her chin up in her hand.

"I think he's too proud. Deidara doesn't like letting girls see him cry. I think Konan-senpai might have been the only girl to see him cry besides you, Sakura," Itachi told her. Sakura cringed as she imagined how much it must have hurt Deidara the previous year when Konan had come to dance practice every Saturday for at least a month.

"Let's watch a movie," Itachi suggested.

"What?" Sakura said, startled by the sudden change in topic. He stood, making the legs of his chair scrape back across the floor.

"I rented a couple DVDs last month. I think they're still around," Itachi said as he moved past the table to check the living room. And then Sakura realized that he was trying to distract her. But she decided that being distracted might be the best option in this situation. She picked up the ice cream and walked over to the TV where Itachi pulled out a couple plastic cases for her to choose from. After some deliberation, Sakura picked out the psychological thriller with the rather disturbing picture of an eyeball on the cover.

"I'll be right back," Sakura declared, springing to her feet. By the time she had washed and quartered the peaches, Itachi had popped the DVD into the player and was sitting on the floor in front of the sofa. His legs were stretched out under the coffee table as he watched her place the fruit in front of him. Sakura turned off the lights before she settled on the floor next to him. Itachi hit the play button and the opening credits began rolling across the flat screen TV. He yanked the blanket off of the sofa and draped it across their legs. They munched anxiously on the peaches while they watched the female protagonist bumble along in the dark woods all alone. When a ghost with long black hair and a white dress popped up, Sakura squeaked and shrank against Itachi's side. He put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. By the time the main character had escaped the deadly clutches of the vengeful ghost, they had eaten everything and Itachi was trying his best not to laugh as Sakura, hugging a throw pillow to her chest, watched the TV with wide eyes.

"I knew it! I knew the ghost was her sister!" Sakura exclaimed triumphantly as the ending credits began rising up the blackened screen. She snuggled against Itachi's chest. The soft fabric of his shirt smelled like laundry soap and a little bit like the curry they had eaten for dinner. As she tilted her head back to look up at him, she realized just how sharp and perfect the line of his jaw was. Smiling, she stretched to kiss him just below his ear, just to see how he would react.

"You know… I wasn't joking. You've really gotten bold lately," Itachi observed in a low voice that immediately made her regret her actions just a little. She had learned to read the intention in his eyes whenever his voice got like that. In a tangle of flailing limbs and blanket, Sakura found herself flat on her back. With the glowing light from the TV falling over the side of his face, Itachi hovered over her, one handed planted on either side of her head.

"I hope you know I didn't bring you here just to do this," he joked after a moment. Sakura's smile faded.

"I know," she softly replied, reaching up to lightly touch his cheek. And she had a sudden thought as she looked up into his face. Her chest tightened as her eyes traced over the soft smile curving his mouth.

"I think I love you," Sakura whispered without fully realizing that the words had escaped her. Before she had time to process what she had just done, Itachi lowered himself to his elbows to kiss her.

"Good. Because I love you," he murmured against the corner of her mouth. The tickle of his lips on her cheek and then on her jaw made her giggle a little. She squirmed when he suddenly nipped at the tender skin over her pulse. Her fingers curled and uncurled as his lips traveled lower and lower, stopping just where the collar of her t-shirt started.

"Is it still there?" Itachi asked as he rolled up her left sleeve. The hickey on her shoulder had faded away, leaving smooth, unblemished skin.

"Are you trying to give Deidara-san an aneurysm?" Sakura grumbled. In response, Itachi rolled her sleeve back down and gave her another kiss. The soft glide of his tongue over her bottom lip was always unexpected. He had told her once not to keep her mouth closed when they kissed like this. Her breath came in soft gasps when he dragged his tongue along hers. His fingers trailed down her sides in feather-light touches until they rested on the small of her back. Sakura shivered when Itachi pulled at her shirt to press an open-mouthed kiss between her collar bones.

"What brought along the sudden confession?" Itachi inquired after he moved up to kiss her lips one last time. He lay down on his side next to her. Sakura blinked a few times as she tried to remember how to form words.

"Well… I just…. I don't really know. I'm just always really happy when I'm with you and I don't know if this is annoying but I always want to be near you. And I like the way you smile and the way you drive and the way you look when you're sleeping," she admitted. His eyebrow rose.

"When I'm sleeping?" he repeated.

"Well, I feel like every time I've seen you sleep, you've had glasses on. I think they make you look cool," Sakura corrected herself. When she began to realize just how strange that sounded, she ducked her head under her arm to hide her face.

"You make me worry sometimes, Sakura," Itachi sighed, reaching out to brush her hair out of her face. She peered at him over her arm with questioning eyes.

"You might be getting a little too cute. What'll I do if someone tries to steal you away?"

Sakura made a face.

"You mean someone like Sasori-san?" she replied, wrinkling her nose. They stared at each other before they laughed a little at the absurdity of it all.

"A café in Fiji," Sakura giggled as she recalled the conversation from earlier in the week.

"But seriously, you've been getting prettier and prettier. What should I do with you?" Itachi murmured against her ear, interrupting her laughter. She tensed up, wondering whether she would have time to escape before she ended up stuttering out something stupid and embarrassing again. He felt her shoulders stiffen and let his hand drop from her cheek.

"Sakura…are you feeling pressured by any chance?" Itachi asked as she sat up.

"Pressured?"

"Pressured to get intimate," Itachi clarified and she promptly turned the color of a steamed lobster. She shook her head frantically until her hair whipped around her face. Her reaction evoked a little chuckle from Itachi as he put his arms around her waist, pulling her back down to the floor. When she was curled up against his chest, eyes wide as she stared up at him, Itachi lightly hit his forehead against hers.

"We'll go at your pace, silly. So don't worry," he assured her with a warm smile that made her insides feel goopy and useless. She couldn't find the rights words to say to him. Even though she was so incredibly happy, tears pricked up at the corners of her eyes. She pressed her cheek to his chest as she cried just a little bit.

"You're perfect," she sniffed. This time, his laugh sounded a little less happy.

"I'm really not. But thank you," Itachi replied as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

Even though it was late and she had enough energy to get to the bedroom, Sakura decided that she was comfortable right there. Sighing deeply, she let the rest of her tears soak into her sleeve and let herself drift into easy and comfortable dreams.

* * *

Sakura woke bright and early the next day. She was still curled up in the warmth of Itachi's arms on the living room floor. The TV was still on and the buzz of her cell phone right next to her head, she realized, was what had woken her in the first place. Squinting against the sunlight streaming in through the window, she groped for her phone and held it up to her face. The alarm blinked back the '9:00' at her in bright green numbers. So despite the fact that she could have slept there forever, she reluctantly wiggled free from Itachi's embrace and went to take a shower.

The weather was just as nice as it had been the day before. Humming softly to herself, Sakura changed into a long white t-shirt over black leggings. She pulled back her damp hair into a ponytail before she slipped on a pair of bright yellow converse and quietly left the apartment.

Today was going to a wonderful day.

* * *

When Sakura finally left the apartment, Itachi's eyes snapped open. He rubbed his face roughly as he tried to erase the feeling of her soft body pressed against his. Though at first it had just been a little snuggling session, she had gone and fallen asleep right there. It wouldn't have been so bad had she not been sighing in her sleep and making the most tempting faces that Itachi had ever seen. The entire night, he had lain there, going over legal jargon in his head and refusing to acknowledge the sensation of her breasts against his arm.

"I'm going to become Buddha at this rate," he groaned as he pulled the blanket over his head and rolled onto his back.

Itachi was going back to bed.

* * *

By now, the train ride to Konoha University was a familiar route. Though she wasn't exactly familiar with Itachi's neighborhood, she did have a basic grasp of where the nearest train station was. Sakura admired the lush greenery of the trees and blooming flowers during the 5-minute walk to the station. But just as she recognized the stairs leading down to the underground, someone called her name.

"Oi! Sakura-chan!"

Sakura turned to see a familiar splash of gold waving madly at her. She waited as Naruto came running up to her with Sasuke following at a more dignified pace. Both were in Konoha High's navy blue track suits. Naruto's jacket was zipped up all the way to his chin while Sasuke left his unzipped to reveal the white t-shirt underneath. Sakura waved just before Naruto engulfed her in one of his bear-like hugs.

"Morning. What are you doing here?" Sasuke grunted as he nodded in greeting. He grabbed the back of Naruto's jacket to pry him off of Sakura.

"I'm going to meet a friend. What about you guys?" Sakura said. Naruto proudly tugged at the strap of his duffel bag slung across his chest.

"We're off to basketball practice. We're going to destroy Oto High this year," Naruto cheered.

"Which way are you headed?" Sasuke asked.

"Oh. I'm not taking the train. I'm going to KU," Sakura admitted as she pointed directly across the street from the stairs where the sprawling lawns of the university started.

"Okay then. Let's hang out sometime, Sakura-chan! See you tomorrow!" Naruto called even as he began running down the stairs. Sasuke patted her arm before he followed Naruto, muttering something about blonde idiots.

KU's campus was mostly empty so early on a Sunday morning. When Sakura reached the building where most of the art studios were located, she found a group of students huddled around the entrance holding cups of coffee. Some of them looked and smelled like they hadn't bathed in quite a while. She quietly excused herself before she slipped inside and headed up to the third floor where Konan's preferred studio was.

"Hi, Konan-san," Sakura chirruped as she stuck her head into the room. The smell of clay and oil paints assaulted her nose as she stepped inside. Konan was standing next to an enormous block of marble with a chisel in one hand and a hammer in the other. The rough shape of a head and arms were already visible in the swirling stone. Konan looked at Sakura in greeting before her eyes focused back on her work. Unlike her fellow students, Konan didn't look remotely homeless. She was effortlessly stylish as usual in a loose white blouse and khaki shorts. Her wavy indigo hair was pulled back into a messy bun held in place by a paintbrush.

"I'm supposed to make a piece about the human body in motion. I'm going to need you to do a couple of poses for me," Konan explained as she placed her chisel on the front of the marble and then smashed down on it, breaking off a chunk of rock. So Sakura obliged, doing a couple of basic poses that she remembered from her childhood.

"You're pretty good. Did you do ballet as a kid?" Konan commented as she hacked off another piece of stone.

"Until middle school. I did modern dance until the 7th grade," Sakura replied. She watched Konan chip away a few more details.

"I think that's good. Thanks, Sakura. You're welcome to stay and watch," Konan said. So Sakura perched herself on one of the stools scattered around the room and watched Konan at work. It took strength, Sakura knew, to manage to break marble like that. But it also took delicate hands to get just the right amount without ruining the piece. The steady clang of Konan chipping away at the block sounded almost like music. After a while, Sakura remembered the conversation she had had with Itachi the night before.

"Konan-san?"

"That sounds too formal. Call me senpai," Konan sighed as she took a step back from her work. She brushed the dust off her clothes and hair.

"Konan-senpai, can I ask you something personal?" Sakura queried. Konan's eyebrows arched but she didn't look annoyed. Her tongue darted out to touch the piercing in her lower lip. She looked at Sakura expectantly with her hands on her hips.

"Well, I already heard Deidara-san's side of the story. But I just wanted to know…. Can you tell me what really happened between you two?" asked Sakura, her voice growing smaller and smaller as she lost confidence in her words. Maybe that was too personal. Maybe Konan would get mad and tell her not to come around anymore. Instead, Konan tilted her head to the side, like she was thinking.

"I suppose I could. I should take a break anyway," Konan responded after a minute. She put her tools down before she leaned against the slab of marble.

"I guess I'll start from the beginning. Nagato and I grew up in the same orphanage. I never had parents but his threw him away when he was 7. We became really good friends, always hanging out together. Eventually we got taken in by this foster parent who was really good to us until we graduated high school and had to live on our own," Konan began in a soft voice. Sakura's eyes widened. She had never imagined cool, beautiful Konan to be someone who grew up in an orphanage.

"I don't know. It just sort of happened. By middle school, we were dating and I just thought it was the most natural thing in the world. I knew that I would be together with Nagato until one of us died. But I started to resent him a little. I wondered if there was someone else I could be with. I began to think that maybe Nagato had tricked me or trapped me. And that's when I met Deidara." Sakura's throat closed up. She knew this part of the story well.

"He was so earnestly in love with me. It was flattering and a little cute. I was selfish and I was bored. So decided to play with this little freshman." They were cutting words. And they definitely left Konan's mouth in a sneer. But there was something so profoundly sad about the way her eyes were far away.

"I didn't think I would end up actually liking him. Deidara was a sweet little boy. He tried really hard to make me happy. He was different from Nagato. He paid a lot of attention to me. I took advantage of that because it felt nice to be important." As she spoke, Konan picked up her chisel and hammer again. The metallic tapping started up again as she continued smoothing out the features on the statue's face.

"So you… you slept with him?" Sakura interrupted in a trembling voice.

"I did. Because it was what Deidara wanted. But I didn't tell anyone. He must have been telling one of his friends because Nagato found out about it," Konan said without stopping her work. At this, Sakura frowned. Deidara had made it sound like he had been a victim and Konan had been the one to tell Nagato what had happened.

"Nagato's fiercely jealous. If I had told him that I was serious about Deidara, he would have killed him. So I said Deidara was a fling. That he didn't matter to me. Deidara hasn't spoken to me since," Konan finished as she cut out a left eye for the woman encased in the marble. She looked up when she heard Sakura let out a little huff. With unshed tears glistening in her eyes, Sakura stood, knocking the stool to the ground. She grabbed Konan's arm so tightly that Konan actually winced.

"If you don't tell him, how will he know?" Sakura practically yelled. Konan's eyes widened.

"What?"

"You're both stupid! You won't talk to each other and you just keep hurting each other!" Sakura snapped as she dragged Konan out of the studio. Konan had to run to keep up with Sakura's angry strides. When they left the art building, Sakura began dragging them in the direction of the apartment that Deidara and Sasori shared at the west end of the campus. She remembered Sasori mentioning that their status as special students meant that the university gave them free housing near one of the libraries. So Sakura headed in the direction of the library. By some miracle, there were signs directing her that read 'Special Housing'.

"Wait, where are you taking me, Sakura?" Konan demanded. Sakura ignored her as she grabbed her phone with her free hand and dialed Deidara's number.

"What room number are you?" she asked as soon as he picked up.

"Uh, My-chan? What's wrong?" Deidara grunted in a voice still thick with sleep.

"Room number!" she yelled and she could hear him fall off his bed with a heavy thud.

"Geez, My-chan. It's 312, yeah. Calm down," he grumbled. Sakura ended the call and began storming up the stairs with Konan still in tow. When she got to the third floor, she saw one of the doors creaking open. A head of long blonde hair peered out, looking sleepily from the left and right before retracting back inside. Sakura practically ran down the corridor, rapping on the door so loudly that it echoed through the hall.

"What the HELL?" Deidara roared as the door opened again. He froze when he saw who it was.

"Sakura-chan, what's wrong?" Sasori yawned as his face appeared under Deidara's arm. Sakura promptly grabbed the collar of Sasori's shirt, yanking him out of the room. She then shoved Konan at Deidara.

"IF YOU DON'T TALK TO EACH OTHER, HOW WILL YOU UNDERSTAND? STOP BEING STUPID AND LISTEN TO EACH OTHER!" Sakura shouted before she slammed the door shut in their stunned faces. A few sleepy heads popped out of other doors to check what the commotion was. But Sakura barely noticed as she tried to even out her breathing. Sasori, who had fallen to the floor, was sitting right next to her feet. He was still in dark green pajama pants along with a black wifebeater. He had black moccasins on, the kind lined with fur that were meant to be worn indoors.

"Ah. I was wondering when this would happen," Sasori sighed as he put his arm around her knees and rested his head on her thigh. Sakura looked down at him, just then remembering that he was there at all.

"Help me up, Sakura-chan. I'm kind of hungry," Sasori said. So she reached down, letting him grasp both her hands to get to his feet. He slung his right arm over her shoulders as he led her down to the first floor. Back outside on the campus, Sakura sucked in one deep breath of fresh air and groaned.

"Sasori-san, did I just do something stupid?" she asked as he began leading them across campus.

"Yes. But it was also very smart. I'll swipe you in, okay?" Sasori replied as he took them inside a one-story white building with tall glass windows. She barely paid attention as he ushered her in through a door where a woman sat at a computer. Sasori dug a card out of his pocket and handed it to her.

"You're up early today. Your girlfriend?" the woman greeted them with a pleasant smile as she swiped the card twice and handed it back. Sasori put his hands on Sakura's shoulders.

"My prisoner," he simply said before he pushed her further into the building. Through a set of double doors lay the dining hall. It was mostly deserted save for a few people sitting alone, surrounded by empty cups and tons of books that had most likely been there since earlier in the morning. Sasori guided her toward a buffet filled with steaming trays of eggs and toast and crispy bacon. There was another buffet with fluffy white rice and traditional side dishes. While Sasori piled a dish with scrambled eggs and toast, Sakura filled a bowl with strawberries and apple slices that she filled with vanilla yogurt. They sat at one of the smaller round tables toward the back corner of the dining hall where they wouldn't be bothered.

Sakura shoveled her breakfast into her mouth, as if she was taking out her anger on the innocent fruits. Sasori got up for a minute and returned with two big mugs of coffee each doused liberally with hazelnut creamer and sugar.

"Did I wake you up?" Sakura asked as she watched Sasori take a long sip of coffee.

"I've been up since 7 working on some new designs for one of my classes. If you hadn't gotten me kicked out, I wouldn't have eaten until at least noon," Sasori responded before he took a huge bite out of his toast slathered generously with butter and grape jelly.

"So," Sasori began as he watched Sakura crunch on a particularly crisp piece of apple. She looked at him with her cheeks stuffed with fruit.

"What happened?" he prompted as he moved onto his second slice of toast. Sakura took a sip of her coffee, made a face, and added another packet of sugar.

"Well I asked Konan-senpai what happened and she told me and it didn't match up with Deidara-san's story. So I started getting really mad because if they had just clearly communicated in the first place, things wouldn't be so awkward between them," Sakura half-snarled around a mouthful of strawberry. Sasori just raised and lowered his eyebrows as he slowly chewed.

"I know. Both of them are too weird and stubborn to realize that without someone smashing their heads together. Good job," Sasori agreed. Sakura nodded grumpily, grudgingly accepting his praise. They ate the rest of their meal in peaceful quiet that only seemed possible when it was just the two of them. Sakura watched Sasori finish off another cup of coffee before he reached across the table and ruffled her hair.

"They'll break some shit, talk it out and be friends again. Don't worry too much. If you get wrinkles, Deidara will kill us both," Sasori said as he poked between her eyebrows to smooth out the furrow there.

"I think I'll probably head over to Kisame's to take a nap soon. What about you?" he asked after a while. Sakura licked her spoon clean of yogurt and then placed it in the empty bowl. She tapped her fingers against the tabletop before she shrugged.

"I don't know. I think I'll go sulk and be worried for a bit," Sakura sighed, rubbing her palm against her forehead. Sasori made a vague noise of approval in the back of his throat.

"Have fun with that. I'll let you know how it goes," he said as he watched Sakura get to her feet. She gave him a one-armed hug before she walked out of the building and half-ran all the way back to Itachi's apartment. She hurried up the stairs to the third floor and knocked on the door where she hoped Itachi would still be inside. It took a few moments but eventually Itachi opened the door and she practically flung herself into his arms.

"I'm stupid," she mumbled against his chest.

So he made her some tea, listened to her story and then decided that it was time for them to go to his parents' house.

* * *

Dinner was refreshing soba with a dessert of decadent three-layer cake with freshly whipped cream and thick slices of sweet strawberries. How Sakura had managed to get the contraption to stay in one piece was a mystery. Sakura sat on the sofa, listening as Sasuke and Itachi did the dishes. Mikoto settled next to her with a bright smile.

"What's wrong, honey? You seem down," Mikoto asked, putting her hand on Sakura's forehead.

"Um…. Well…. Fugaku-san…. You're a police officer, right?" Sakura began. Fugaku immediately turned away from the television just as Itachi and Sasuke walked into the living room to join them.

"What's wrong, Sakura? Did something happen?" Fugaku demanded. Itachi settled on the other side of Sakura while Sasuke sat next to his father. Sakura glanced nervously toward Itachi before she looked back at Fugaku. She tugged on the edge of Itachi's sleeve.

"Sakura's been getting these strange phone calls on her cell phone. When she answered it, someone that sounded like her father answered. Since then he's been trying to contact her at least twice a week. On Friday, he called her house phone so Sakura's been staying at my place for safety reasons," Itachi explained. Sasuke glowered.

"You sick, weak man," Sasuke growled, shaking his head. Mikoto patted Sakura's hand soothingly.

"But sweetheart, I thought your father passed away already," Mikoto said.

"Sounds like we might have a stalker. Good thinking moving Sakura to safety," Fugaku said with a stern nod. Sasuke's head whipped around to his father. Sakura took out her phone to show him the number on her missed calls list that had been plaguing her for weeks. Fugaku jotted the digits down on a stray scrap of paper that he then tucked into his pocket.

"I'll have the department look into this number as soon as possible. Sakura, you stay with Itachi for now," he said as Mikoto squeezed Sakura in a comforting hug that only mothers were able to give.

When Itachi drove them home with the usual stack of leftovers from Mikoto, Sakura felt a lot better.

"It must be nice to have a dad like that. Fugaku-san's so dependable," Sakura sighed. Itachi just smiled. Back at the apartment, they spoke a little as they put away the leftovers in the fridge. Since it was late and Sakura had school the next day, Sakura went to bed early, leaving Itachi to study quietly until he fell asleep on the sofa again. In the morning, she texted Kisame to let him know that she wouldn't be joining him for their morning run before she took a shower and whipped up a quick breakfast. By the time she was dressed in her uniform and fed, it was time for her to go to school. She stopped by the sofa where Itachi was sitting, a book still open in his lap.

"Itachi-kun," she whispered. He didn't respond so she lightly shook his shoulder. He let out a tired sigh to let her know that he was awake.

"I made breakfast so eat before your exam," Sakura said. He slowly reached up, stroke her hair once.

"Okay. Have a good day," he mumbled before his hand dropped back into his lap. Sakura kissed his cheek before she headed off to catch the train to school.

When Sakura walked past the familiar gates, someone grabbed her arm.

"Ow! Sasuke-kun!" Sakura complained as she whirled around to meet Sasuke's hard gaze. He yanked at the collar of her blouse and Sakura slapped his hands away.

"He didn't do anything to you?" Sasuke demanded as Sakura began striding up to the school.

"Who?"

"My brother," Sasuke ground out. Sakura abruptly stopped walking to turn and face him.

"Ugh. Don't be weird, Sasuke-kun. Nothing happened," she sighed before she caught sight of Moegi talking to her friends and called out to her. Before homeroom started, Sakura stopped by the student council office to type up the proposal for the autumn cultural festival. When she stopped by the staff room to drop it off, Sakura caught sight of Ino walking towards her.

"Hi, Ino-chan," Sakura greeted the girl. She hadn't seen much of Ino in the past months. Ino was in Sasuke's homeroom so they didn't have classes together anymore. The only reason Sakura ever really saw Sasuke was because he came to hide in their classroom during lunch and study period. Apparently he had met two new transfer students in his class who had immediately latched onto him as some sort of enthusiastic but highly unwanted friends.

("I can barely tolerate my **own** friends," Sasuke had grumbled to her.)

"Hey, Sakura. How've you been?" Ino slowly said. Sakura shrugged.

"Good, I guess. What about you?" she politely said in response. But before Ino could answer, Sasuke was stomping down the hall with his hands jammed deep into his pockets. There was a group of five girls (probably freshmen from their sparkling eyes and oblivious smiles) trailing after him. He made eye contact and then proceeded to speed walk all the way down the hall.

"Save me," Sasuke muttered as he grabbed onto Sakura's hand.

"Sorry, Ino-chan. Let's catch up later," Sakura called out before she was dragged to her homeroom by a very irritated Sasuke.

"New members of your fan club?" Sakura guessed as they ducked into the relatively safety of the classroom. There was an unspoken rule at Konoha High that the senior classrooms generally weren't to be entered by underclassmen unless there was an emergency. Sakura waved at Hinata and rolled her eyes at Sai and Naruto having an arm wrestling contest before she sat at her desk. Sasuke perched on top of her desk with his usual scowl turned up about a notch scarier than usual.

"I don't know. They've been following me all morning. It makes me want to kill myself…or them," Sasuke sighed sharply.

"You looked like a mother duck with ducklings trailing after you," Sakura snickered, earning a glare.

"Hey, you should settle down, asshole. Find a nice girlfriend. Worked out everything for me," Naruto called out. When he winked at Hinata, her cheeks bloomed a pretty shade of pink. Sai took advantage of this and proceeded to slam Naruto's hand down, winning their contest.

"Naruto, no one was chasing after you **before** you started dating Hinata-chan," Sakura pointed out. Naruto sputtered like he wanted to protest but couldn't find a real argument against her verbal jab.

"Well, Sasuke-kun, I'm sure they'll lose interest sooner or later. In the meantime, you should start hanging around Sai more. Sai's like the ultimate chick repellant," Sakura added with a thoughtful expression. Sasuke took a moment to frown at Sai who smiled pleasantly back.

"Sai's not _that_ hideous," Sasuke admitted. Sakura arched an eyebrow at him.

"Hey, Sai-kun, what's your favorite pick-up line again?" Sakura called.

"Well, I'd have to say it's this one: Hello. You're attractive. May I kiss you and call you 'dear'?" Sai recited in his oddly stiff voice as if he were reading from a book. When Sakura turned back to Sasuke, she saw understanding shining in his dark eyes.

"Once he opens his mouth," Sakura clarified with a little nod. Despite his sulking, Sasuke went back to his own class just before the bell rang signaling the beginning of the day. The homeroom teacher started the day by handing out pieces of paper with the words 'Future Evaluation' printed out on top. A unanimous groan rose from the students.

"Now I realize that it seems early in the year, but your college entrance exams are coming up soon. I'm going to need you to fill these out and return them by Friday. Then we'll hold parent-teacher conferences to discuss your possible options," he announced over everyone's complaints. During a break between classes, Sakura turned around to see Naruto scrawling across his form in blue pen.

"Naruto, please don't tell me that you have 'Emperor of Japan' written as your first option," Sai said as he leaned over to read the sheet.

"Yeah. You're right, Sai. Maybe that'll be second. My first should be to own a ramen stand," Naruto agreed as he drew an arrow on his paper. Sakura looked over at Hinata.

"You need to teach him about priorities," Sakura sighed and Hinata nodded in response.

"What about you, Sai? What're your plans, man?" Naruto asked. Sai flashed one of his usual smiles.

"My dream is to see Naruto as not the emperor of Japan," he quickly replied.

Sakura and Hinata laughed as they watched Naruto launch himself out of his chair to attack Sai.

* * *

Reviews please! Let me know what you think is going to happen! Maybe I'll give out a prize to someone if they can guess.

I also wanted to add that I love reading about how much everyone loves Sasori. I love him too. He seems like the type of person, if he hadn't been a psychotic, murdering, puppeteer, to be so incredibly awkward and strange around anything living. I'd have to say that he's my favorite character to write in this story so far.


	18. Home Sweet Home

Fancy Footwork

Chapter 18: Home Sweet Home

The future evaluation surveys raised a huge fuss among students. Everyone knew that the higher a student's rankings, the higher the chance of him or her getting into a desired university. As a result, while everyone was busy chattering furiously and worrying and worrying and worrying because they hadn't bothered studying throughout high school, Sasuke was sitting on top of Sakura's desk with his legs folded in a lotus position. It was just after second period and he had come to escape again during the 15-minute break.

"What're you writing down on your survey, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked. Consistently wavering between 1st and 3rd place in the grade since freshman year had left the two of them with very little to contribute to the nervous blabbering filling the room. Sasuke yawned.

"There's a really good business school in New York City," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. The group of freshman girls trailing after Sasuke had taken to hovering outside his classroom in between classes, tittering and peering in through the cracked door. So he slipped past them to escape to the classroom next door where he sulked quietly while Sakura poked fun at his misery just a little bit.

Recently, there had been some rumors swirling around that the student council president looked innocent but was capable of destroying people. This could probably be attributed to an incident a few weeks ago involving Naruto accidentally running into the girls' bathroom and Sakura punching him in the face for it. Sakura didn't mind (and didn't bother to dispel such rumors since they were mostly true) and it seemed to be behind what was keeping annoying fangirls from giggling outside her classroom too.

"You?" Sasuke grunted out his question. Sakura had already filled out her form and tucked it neatly inside her bag so it wouldn't be wrinkled by Sasuke's butt.

"Pre-med at Konoha University," she easily replied without any hesitation. And while the classroom was filled with anxious chatter, Sasuke nodded serenely in response and they both went back to dozing off a little. In fact, it was just their little back corner of the room that was calm in the midst of all the chaos and panic emanating from students suddenly worrying about their futures.

Sakura knew for a fact that Hinata planned to go to nursing school and with her respectable ranking in the top 20 students at Konoha High, her future was more than secured. Naruto (joking about being the emperor of Japan aside) wanted to open up his own successful ramen stand so he honestly didn't care about anything other than graduating safely. Sai had plans to attend a prestigious art school in Tokyo which also didn't require much academic prowess so much as talent. Sakura stretched her arms high over her head while she checked the round white clock on the wall. Their next class was due to start in less than two minutes. So she poked Sasuke's arm to get his attention.

"Get your butt off my desk, Sasuke-kun," she said. Sasuke scowled, stared the clock, and then scowled again before he hopped to his feet.

"Don't frown too much. Girls like that love the brooding and mysterious look," she called after him as he shoved his hands into his pockets and headed back to his own classroom.

"Hey, Sakura-chan," Naruto suddenly said. Sakura turned around to see her friend grinning brightly.

"Do you have plans for this weekend?" he asked.

"I don't think so. Why?"

"Let's go ice skating! If you come, then that asshole will definitely come!" Naruto insisted, pointing in the direction of Sasuke's classroom. Sakura blinked a few times before she noticed Hinata peering over the top of her book at her. Lately, Hinata and Naruto had turned into some sort of well-oiled machine with Naruto agreeing with everything Hinata said and Hinata giving puppy-dog eyes to push Naruto's agendas along. Sakura figured that she would have hated that had she not loved Naruto and Hinata to death.

"Ice skating?" she repeated slowly, rolling the word over her tongue. She hadn't been to an ice skating rink in several years and her ability not to fall over was minimal at best. But one look at Hinata's pleading eyes and Sakura caved.

"Sure. That sounds fun," Sakura agreed with a little sigh.

When Sasuke returned during the next break during classes, he saw Naruto eying him with excitement. Seating himself on top of Sakura's desk, he nudged her shoulder. She was turned around, watching Sai drawing in one of his sketchbooks. She glanced over at him and raised a hand in greeting before she turned back to Sai.

"What's the idiot planning?" Sasuke demanded.

"He wants me to convince you to hang out with us this weekend," Sakura replied, ignoring the way that Naruto's expression fell when he realized that she had betrayed him immediately. Sasuke's eyebrows knit together as he seemed to mull over the possibilities. Sakura knew that Sasuke hated loud, crowded places (probably why he hated high school so much) but she also knew that he would never miss an opportunity to see Naruto falling on his ass. After a minute, Sasuke let out a heavy sigh.

"Fine," he grumbled, ignoring Naruto's cheer.

When lunch period finally rolled around, Sakura watched Sasuke slink into the classroom with a small lunchbox hugged against his chest. There were a few high-pitched squeals from girls that had spotted him in the hallway but he slammed the door shut behind him. Hinata, Naruto, Sai and Sakura had pushed their desks together to form a square. Sakura gestured to an empty chair they had pulled up between her and Sai. When Sasuke collapsed into the offered seat, Naruto snorted loudly around a mouthful of ramen.

"Painful being popular, Sasuke?" Naruto laughed, exposing everyone to the half-chewed mass of noodles in his mouth. Sakura cringed while Sasuke aimed a sharp kick at Naruto's shin under the tables.

"Shut up, moron," Sasuke muttered sullenly as he opened up his bento. He promptly began picking out the sweet omelet Mikoto had included on top of the sticky white rice. Though his mother knew he hated sweet things, she never seemed to remember the fact when it came to making omelets. Hinata had packed a joint bento for her and Naruto. Now that he had finished off the instant bowl of ramen he had brought from home, Naruto began enthusiastically digging into the homemade lunch from his girlfriend. Sai had gone downstairs to buy some bread filled with sweet red bean. And Sakura had gone along with Sai to buy sweet melonpan*.

Sakura blinked a couple times when Sasuke suddenly plopped the lid of his bento down in front of her and piled the omelet slices on top of it.

"You doing okay?" he suddenly asked in a low voice. Sakura hesitated for a moment to answer and she could feel her other friends' eyes on her too.

"I'm good," she finally replied, reaching out to pat his shoulder once. Naruto's eyebrows knit together as he looked between her and Sasuke. But Hinata lightly touched his elbow, shaking her head, and Naruto evidently decided to let it drop.

"So, on Saturday, Naruto-kun and I were thinking about going ice skating and then getting lunch," Hinata suddenly announced. Grateful for the distraction, Sakura quickly looked away from Sasuke to agree with her plan. After they had agreed on what to eat (Naruto's declaration of ramen was easily dismissed), the door to the classroom slid open.

"Kaichou?"

Sakura's head automatically snapped up when she heard Udon's nasally voice. He was hovering nervously in the doorway, paperwork hugged tightly to his chest. His gaze darted nervously around the room, like he expected one of the seniors to get up and hit him with a shovel. She waved him inside, brushing crumbs off her lap. He half-ran, half-tripped over to her before he handed her the thick stack of papers.

"I stopped by the staff room and Sarutobi-sensei gave me this. He says that he likes your plan and that the budget seems reasonable," the boy explained as Sakura skimmed through the pages of the report she had submitted earlier that morning. She was surprised that the principal had managed to read through it so quickly. But his blue stamp of approval on the front was good enough for the student council to proceed with planning.

"Thank you, Udon-kun," she said with a smile, making the younger boy blush a little.

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Holy shit," Sasuke sighed as he ducked his head under his arm hide his face. The classroom door slid open again to reveal a girl with flaming red hair. Though the left side was silky and straight, the right was spiky and short, earning a fair share of strange looks from people in the room. When her eyes landed on Sasuke, they immediately lit up.

"Sasuke-kun! There you are!" she exclaimed in such a loud voice that Sakura had a hard time not cringing. Naruto, however, with his back turned to her, seemed perfectly fine making silent gagging faces and rolling his eyes.

"Karin, this isn't your class," Naruto groaned, clamping his hands over his ears. The girl paused for a moment to look at Naruto.

"Shut up," she snapped and Naruto gaped at Hinata, like he couldn't believe how rude Karin was. But Karin simply tossed her hair over her shoulder and ignored Naruto's wounded expression.

"We've been looking everywhere for you, Sasuke-kun. Why don't you want to eat lunch with us?" Karin asked in a voice dripping with honey again. And Sasuke did his best to make it look like he had actually died. Sakura struggled not to laugh at the look of utter misery etched on his face.

"Um, Uzumaki-san, right?" Sakura began when Sasuke began staring at her with wide eyes that silently pleaded for help. Though she looked annoyed at being interrupted, Karin turned to Sakura. Her eyes narrowed before she realized who had been the one to speak.

"Oh! Kaichou! Good timing. I'm going on a goukon with a couple friends on Friday. You're pretty so you should come," Karin declared with her hands on her hips.

"Seriously, be quiet, Karin. Sakura-chan would never want to go on a crappy goukon with you," Naruto snickered. Sai nodded solemnly as he calmly chewed on his bread.

"Don't get all arrogant just because you have a girlfriend now, Naruto! You're still a pathetic loser! And I wasn't talking to you!" Karin roared, stunning Naruto into silence.

"You're the worst cousin ever," Naruto sulked as he put his head down on the desk and left Hinata to pat his back soothingly. Sakura, who had been watching this exchange while tapping her chin, started when Karin looked back to her.

"Um, thank you, Uzumaki-san, but I think I'll have to pass," Sakura slowly said. Karin frowned.

"Look, I promise that the guys won't be ugly or anything. And they said they're paying for the food too," Karin insisted. When Sakura looked to Sasuke for support, he silently shook his head. So it was shy little Udon who cleared his throat and spoke.

"Kaichou can't because she already has a super-cool older boyfriend," Udon announced. And it just happened that at the moment, the classroom fell oddly silent and everyone in the room managed to hear him. The "EHHHH?" that rose in the room was embarrassing and slightly insulting. Even though Sakura blushed at all the attention, she also scowled.

"So? What? I can't have a boyfriend?" she huffed to no one in particular before she grabbed a slice of the omelet Sasuke had dumped on her and shoved it into her mouth. Chewing viciously, she avoided all the shocked stares until everyone seemed to get over the initial surprise and went back to eating their lunches.

"Oh… well, I guess you can't then," Karin finally said just as the door slid open again. Sasuke, who had just begun to lift his head, immediately ducked back down. But it was just Ino that peered into the classroom. She looked at Naruto slumped over as if dead and Sasuke trying his best to look like he wasn't there and she raised an eyebrow at Sakura who shrugged.

"Sarutobi-sensei's asking for you, Sakura," Ino said. When Sakura nodded and stood, Sasuke grabbed onto the back of her blouse.

"Take me with you," he hissed. Casting one cautious glance at Karin, Sakura put her hands on Sasuke's shoulders and marched him out of the classroom along with her with Udon trailing behind them. She sent Udon back to his own class before she headed to the staff room.

As she had half-expected, the principal asked her to perform again during the upcoming cultural festival. So she agreed, chatted for a few minutes, and then helped Sasuke sneak to the student council office where Karin would never think to search. As she sat sorting through some new paperwork, Sasuke sat on the corner of her desk, rifling through the ones she had already finished. He eyed the red 'REJECTED' stamp on some of them and snickered.

"Do you think if I stamped that girl's face with this she'd leave me alone?" Sasuke asked. Sakura tried her best not to smile at how utterly miserable he looked.

Eventually, lunch period ended and they went off to their separate classrooms. Once classes were over, Sakura was back in the student council office. With summer break looming near, all the sports teams were suddenly sending in requests for all the equipment and money they needed for training. She wanted to strangle Naruto when she found the basketball club's request especially since she had reminded him and Sasuke about a billion times to submit it a couple days early so she wouldn't be drowning in work. As she sat swimming through a pile of papers, her cell phone rang. She had purposely set a few numbers to a different ringtone so she wouldn't be jumping out of her seat for every single noise her phone made.

"Hello?" she asked without checking the caller ID.

"Sakura, I need to stay after class to talk to my professor about my exam. Do you mind if I have one of the others come pick you up instead?" Itachi inquired.

"No, of course not. Good luck with your exam," she replied. He apologized before he said he needed to get back to class and she hung up the phone.

"What's wrong, Kaichou?" Inari asked as he picked up a stack of papers from her desk.

"Nothing," Sakura quickly said, shoving her phone into her pocket and getting back to work. Half an hour later, there was a soft knock on the door. But before anyone could answer, it burst open and Deidara charged inside.

"I'm going to borrow this, yeah. See you shrimps later," Deidara said, took Sakura by the arm, and dragged her out. She barely had time to grab her schoolbag before she had to run to keep up with Deidara's steps.

"We need to haul some serious ass. If we're late, Sasori's going to whoop my butt, yeah," Deidara told her over his shoulder as they sprinted out of the school and past the front gates. His motorcycle was waiting outside. Sakura automatically caught the extra helmet Deidara threw at her. When she didn't put it on, Deidara flipped up the visor of his own helmet to raise an eyebrow at her.

"You're not mad at me?" she asked in a small voice. When Deidara didn't answer, she felt like crying. She hadn't meant to overstep her boundaries and now one of her closest friends was angry with her for being such a busybody.

"Shut up, My-chan. You know you're my girl," Deidara sighed as he reached out and pulled her into a tight hug. Sakura could have sobbed for how relief washed over her. A low sigh rumbled out of Deidara's chest as he patted the top of her head.

"What're you doing? Get your sleazy hands off her. She's taken," Sasuke interrupted in an unusually grumpy voice. Deidara didn't release her but only looked over at Sasuke to stick out his tongue.

"Don't get jealous, Baby Sasu-chan. Just because My-chan lets me feel her boobs doesn't mean she loves Itachi any less, yeah," Deidara leered, pulling Sakura closer so her breasts were mashed firmly against his stomach. As Sasuke stood slack-jawed, Sakura took the opportunity to pinch Deidara's side. Hard. Shrugging, Deidara released her and took a step back.

"Deidara-san!" Sakura chastised. Deidara poked her cheek.

"And now that we're close enough for you to nag me and stuff, don't call me that. From now on, you're My-chan and I'm Dei-chan," he insisted, tweaking the tip of her nose. Sakura's mouth twisted up into a pout as she looked up into his grin. With a little sigh, Sakura let him pull her into another hug that sent Sasuke into another fit of teeth-grinding.

"What's up, Sasuke-kun? Did you need something?" Sakura asked as she wormed her way out of Deidara's arms.

"Just wanted to make sure everything was alright. Didn't want you to walk alone or something," Sasuke grunted, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. Sakura ignored Deidara's snicker over her shoulder.

"Oh. Thanks. That's really nice of you. But I'm heading to dance practice right now so you should head home. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Sakura said before she put the helmet on and climbed onto the motorcycle. She wrapped her arms around Deidara's waist while he revved the engine. Sakura knew Sasuke wouldn't be able to hear anything else she said so she lifted a hand in greeting before Deidara sped off down the street towards KU.

Sakura knew Deidara really wasn't mad because his back was slouched. Everything about him was relaxed and easy as he turned corners, switched lanes and drove a little too much over the speed limit. And she had hitched enough rides on his bike by now that she was able to keep her eyes open during the entire trip. So she enjoyed watching cars whip past and streetlights blur together in one smudged line. The smell of the clean spring air filled her nose and mouth each time she took a breath. When Deidara pulled into his usual spot in the parking lot at KU, Sakura was almost reluctant to hop off the bike. She tossed the helmet back at him, running her fingers through her tangled hair. They chatted idly about pointless things like the weather and what they had eaten for lunch until they headed up to the third floor. As soon as Deidara opened the glass door, he was hit in the face with a towel.

"Oops, sorry, Deidara," Kisame said. Deidara hurled the towel back at him.

"What the hell? Why are you trying to kill me, yeah?" Deidara snapped.

"…Maybe if you're an existence that can be terminated with a towel, you're just not meant for this world, Deidara," Sasori quietly remarked. It took everyone a moment to realize that Sasori was joking. At least, Sakura hoped he was joking. And she could tell that Deidara wanted to stay annoyed at Kisame but Sasori's statement had left him in a state of shock. Kisame noticed too because he pointed and laughed.

"Shut up," Deidara grumped out. Kisame clapped him on the back.

"Go get changed, Squirrely. Sasori-senpai's teaching you dimestopping today," Kisame announced.

Practice went by quickly. Since Sasori was the master of all things popping (and of all things candy), he had mostly been the one to teach her everything she knew about it. Dimestopping involved a lot of smooth movements mixed with sudden stops that looked incredibly awkward if not done correctly. While they were busy working on Sakura's timing, Kisame and Deidara immersed themselves in new choreography for a couple of songs they had picked out a few days ago. Though they claimed to be working, whenever Sakura looked over, one of them was on the floor while the other laughed at him.

At 6, Deidara and Kisame announced that they would die without food. While they began cheering about having pork cutlet for dinner, Sakura hesitated. She knew that Itachi's final would have ended about an hour ago and she wondered how things had gone. Despite Deidara's puppy dog eyes and Kisame's pouting, she politely declined their invitation.

"I want to go see if Itachi-kun's alive after his exam. I'm thinking about making hambagu steak* for dinner," Sakura explained when Kisame looked genuinely heartbroken at her gentle rejection. Sasori raised his eyebrows at her.

"You're making dinner for him? How cozy," Sasori remarked.

"Yeah, My-chan. Next thing you know, you're going to be staying over at his place," Deidara remarked with a little snort of laughter. Blushing faintly, Sakura let out a nervous giggle.

"Well, I sort of am at the moment."

The sound of Sasori crunching straight through his lollipop echoed awkwardly in the studio. After a moment of complete precarious quiet, Sasori reached into his bag to pluck our a magazine that he began rolling tightly in his hands to make the perfect slapping weapon. Kisame, however, was quick to break the silence. Clapping his hands together, he began doing his celebratory jig that included a lot of hopping and jerky arm movements.

"Congratulations! Name your kids after me, okay?" Kisame instructed in a sing-song voice, his gaze darting nervously between Sasori preparing for battle and Deidara who seemed to have lost the ability to speak altogether. While Sakura yanked the magazine from Sasori's hands, Kisame cautiously poked Deidara in the side, earning a smack to the side of his head.

"Does this have anything to do with that weird phone guy, My-chan?" Deidara suddenly demanded. When Sakura nodded, Kisame's teasing broke off with an awkward cough. She could tell that they were dying to ask a million questions. (Well, Kisame and Deidara were. She couldn't quite decipher the blankness of Sasori's face without guessing. He could be thinking about how he needed to do his laundry for all she knew.) It was Kisame that loudly cleared his throat.

"Well, have a nice dinner then, Kitten," he said in order to smooth over the awkward silence. Despite Deidara's sputtering protests, Sasori dragged him out with Kisame putting his hands on Sakura's shoulders to lead her downstairs.

Deidara offered her a ride on his motorcycle but she politely declined and instead walked the 10 minutes to Itachi's apartment. The windows were completely dark so she wondered if he had collapsed at school from sheer exhaustion. To her immense relief, when she knocked on the door, it only took a few seconds for him to answer. Sakura had never seen Itachi look so disheveled until she had started living with him. He opened the door wearing a black wifebeater and loose grey pajama pants. He offered her a tired smile before he shuffled inside.

"I'm home," she politely said more out of habit than anything. But Itachi's feet suddenly stopped.

"Welcome home," Itachi softly replied as he turned to look at her. She stopped too, eyeing his surprised expression with equal confusion.

"What? I'm home?" Sakura repeated questioningly. A little gasp left her when Itachi suddenly took a few long strides toward her and enveloped her in a tight hug. The thud of her schoolbag falling to the floor sounded incredibly quiet in comparison to Itachi's soft sigh in her ear.

"Welcome home," Itachi replied again with such fervency that she felt her heart skip a beat for just a moment. As the heat of a blush crept up from the back of her neck to her cheeks, Sakura quickly pushed away from him and pretended to be absorbed in looking through the refrigerator to check that she had all the ingredients for dinner. She fumbled around the kitchen as she tied an apron around her waist and scrubbed her hands in the sink. When she snuck a peek at Itachi over her shoulder, she found him lying on the couch, his arms thrown over his eyes.

The soft sizzle of patties in the frying pan filled the apartment. The wooden spatula scraped along the bottom of the pan to make sure that nothing burned. When the minced garlic began cooking as well, the buttery fragrance rose in the air. Sakura was so engrossed in her task that when the doorbell rang, she actually jumped. One quick glance at Itachi confirmed that he was out cold so she wiped her hands on the edge of the apron and tip-toed to the door to look through the peephole. Part of her wasn't surprised to see Sasuke sullenly standing in the hall, his hands jammed so deep into his pockets that Sakura was sure he was digging for gold in there. His normally spiky hair hung limply in his eyes and flopped over the collar of his white t-shirt, still damp from a shower.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said as she opened the door and stuck her head out. She nervously glanced back to make sure she hadn't woken Itachi. Sasuke grunted in response. His dark duffel bag hung from his right shoulder and he was in a slightly damp t-shirt and blue track pants, signs that he had probably come straight from basketball practice.

"Mom wanted me to bring these," Sasuke explained, shoving a plastic bag into Sakura's hands. She nudged the handles aside to reveal clear containers filled with various side dishes. Sakura stared down at the food for a moment, acutely aware of Sasuke's nervous fidgeting just next to her. She pursed her lips as she calculated the amount of ground beef she had bought for dinner.

"Come in. You must be hungry," Sakura finally said, taking Sasuke's wrist and pulling him inside the apartment. With a little yelp, she ran back to the stove to flip the burgers to stop them from burning to a crisp. She rolled out another disk of meat and placed it in the pan. Sasuke dropped his duffel bag in the foyer and then stood awkwardly near the refrigerator.

"Sit down, Sasuke-kun. You're making **me** nervous," she giggled, pointing to the round kitchen room table. Sasuke glanced over at his older brother splayed out on the sofa and let out a derisive snort.

"And father tells me I should be more dignified like Nii-san," Sasuke muttered while he dropped into an empty chair.

"Did you just get out of basketball practice? It's almost 7," Sakura commented as she popped the rice cooker open. Steam rose in her face and she sputtered as she fluffed the sticky white rice.

"Naruto and I were doing drills with the freshmen until pretty late. When I got home my mom kicked me out with that," he yawned in response, pointing at the plastic bag he had brought over. Evidently a little more relaxed, he propped his chin up in his hand and watched her move around the kitchen stirring and flipping and poking. Sakura added a dash of salt to the gravy she was making to go on top of the hambagu steak. She stirred once, hit the spoon against the edge of the pot to get excess sauce off, and then popped it into her mouth to taste. She hummed approvingly at the savory flavor.

"You like cooking?" Sasuke suddenly inquired. Shrugging, she tossed the spoon in the sink.

"I like eating," she corrected him.

"And you call Ino a pig," he snorted in response. They suddenly grew quiet while Sakura rose on her tiptoes to reach for clean plates from the cupboard. Sasuke stood and nudged her aside to get the plates for her instead.

"What's up with you and Yamanaka anyway? Are you still mad at her?" Sasuke asked as he leaned against the counter to watch Sakura scoop out rice onto each plate and top it with the steaming patty. When she drizzled gravy over each one, Sasuke's stomach let out a tiny growl.

"I'm not mad at her. It's just that I never see her anymore and even if I did, I wouldn't know what to talk to her about. Maybe I'm a bad friend for saying this but I feel like once I got away from Ino-chan, I was more…. More…" Sakura struggled to find the right words. It definitely wasn't that she blamed Ino for anything. Ino had been her first real friend, the girl who had protected her from bullies and shared secrets and stayed up on weekends with her to read from gossipy magazines.

"No offense, Sakura, but Ino kind of treated you like crap," Sasuke told her. Sakura scowled.

"No she didn't," Sakura snapped, shoving a plate into each of his hands.

"Yes she did. She made you do all her work and was copying your homework all the time and she pretty much treated you like a sidekick," he pointed out while placing the plates on the table. Sakura's hand froze while reaching for glasses.

"That's…not true," she slowly said even as she remembered all the times Ino had shoved all her work onto her. Especially last year, Ino had taken all the effort to be voted as class representative only to decide she didn't want the position anymore when she realized that it required extra responsibilities and meetings afterschool. But she had known Ino forever. Wasn't that what friendship was all about? Helping each other out?

"She treated you like she was better than you, Sakura. That's not fair. Besides, all the guys think you're hotter than her now," Sasuke added, rolling his eyes. Sakura blinked a few times.

"What was that last part?"

Sasuke seated himself at the table as if he hadn't said something strange. Sakura set the glasses down and began filling them with cool water. The fragrance of cooked meat and onions and garlic rose in the air in a heavenly aroma.

"I was talking to Shikamaru and he said that you looked different. Naruto thinks your boobs got bigger but I told him he was being stupid," Sasuke clarified when her eyes began sizzling into the side of his face. Sakura let out an outraged squeal as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"What the heck! Just when Dei-chan and Sasori-san get over their weird obsession, you three start this nonsense! No! Quit looking at my boobs and stop talking about them!" Sakura hissed.

"So they **did** get bigger. Huh," Sasuke calmly said and Sakura knocked her fist lightly against his forehead. To her immense surprise, Sasuke looked at her and then stuck his tongue out at her. She tried to stay mad at him but it was immensely difficult when she realized that this was probably the first time Uchiha Sasuke had done so since…. Well, since forever.

"Pervert," Sakura sighed before she walked over to the living room where Itachi had managed to sleep peacefully through all the noise. Sakura lightly shook his arm.

"Dinner's ready," she said in a soft voice. It took a moment but she caught a glimpse of his right eye opening in the space between his arms. He blinked slowly and it took a few seconds for his gaze to focus on her.

"And Sasuke-kun's here. Come on," Sakura added. With a low groan, Itachi sat up like it was the most irritating and pointless task in the world. He then looked over at Sakura, looped his arm around her waist, and then curled up on his side with a satisfied exhale, squishing Sakura between him and the back of the sofa. Sakura would have been embarrassed beyond belief had Sasuke not been busy sniffing his food, completely missing out on the exchange altogether.

"I'm hungry. Please don't harass me when I'm hungry. I get very grumpy when I'm hungry. Have you forgotten this?" Sakura reminded Itachi in a voice slightly muffled by his arm. After another moment, Itachi sat up, releasing his hold on her. Smoothing her hair back down, Sakura quickly hopped to her feet and joined Sasuke at the table before he noticed anything had happened at all. It took a minute for Itachi to sit down to Sakura's right, running a hand through his dark hair.

"When did you get here, Sasuke?" Itachi asked.

"A little while ago. Man, you were dead, Nii-san," Sasuke said.

"I wish," Itachi muttered. He then added a soft "Itadakimasu" before digging into his warm meal. Sasuke did the same, taking a giant bite of meat slathered liberally with Sakura's special ketchup gravy. Only Sakura didn't eat, watching the brothers eagerly for their reactions.

"Holy… Nii-san, please marry her so we can eat like this forever," Sasuke sighed around his second mouthful of food, his eyes rolling back just a little. Even though he looked like he was having trouble keeping his eyes open, Itachi nodded in agreement as he chewed. With a satisfied smile, Sakura then dug into her own meal, pleasantly surprised by how well the dish had turned out despite one side of the meat being a little burnt. Halfway through the meal, Sakura cracked open the side dishes from Mikoto that included pickled vegetables that everyone eagerly gobbled down.

Immediately after dinner, Itachi drifted back to the sofa where he collapsed once more into deep sleep.

"Wow. Tough day today," Sasuke observed while helping Sakura clear the table.

"He had a big exam. I think it counted for something like 60% of his grade for the semester," Sakura explained. She beamed when Sasuke knocked her hands aside and dunked his hands in the warm water to start scrubbing the dishes clean. Naruto called him a sourpuss behind his back a lot (and too his face too, actually) but Sakura knew Mikoto had at least managed to beat good manners into his stubborn head. When Sasuke caught her smile, he scowled harder.

"So you're staying here for a while then?" he asked. Sakura hoisted herself up on the counter next to him to watch him work.

"I guess. Fugaku-san says it'd be best for me to stay away from home until all this is sorted it. I kind of need more clothes though. I didn't think I'd be here for this long," she mused mostly to herself. The faucet turned off with a faint squeak.

"Let's go," Sasuke declared.

"Hm?" she hummed, not really paying attention.

"Father said you shouldn't go there alone so I'll walk you. Come on, before it gets too late," Sasuke explained, tilting his head toward the door. Sakura hesitated for a moment. But Itachi was sound asleep and she desperately needed some more clean underwear and there was also some leftover food in the refrigerator that she needed to dispose of before it grew legs and walked out by itself. She took a moment to locate Itachi's keys and slipped them into her pocket before Sasuke picked up his duffel bag and left the apartment with her.

The sun had already set and the streetlights had already flickered on as the made their way down the quiet street. Sakura found herself stealing glances at Sasuke until a frown twisted his lips.

"What?" he demanded.

"Am I your best friend, Sasuke-kun?" she suddenly asked. Though he tried not to be, Sasuke was always surrounded by people who definitely liked him more than he liked them. Sure he was close with Shikamaru (mostly because Shikamaru was always too busy nodding off to pester him) and Naruto (because Naruto was beyond caring if Sasuke occasionally shoved him into a bush or a wall). But sometimes it was hard to tell who Sasuke was simply tolerating and who he actually liked.

"Since Naruto has recently become intolerably annoying since getting a girlfriend, I'm bumping you up to first," Sasuke admitted. Sakura laughed.

"Well…. Thank you? I think…" she replied. The subway ride to Sakura's apartment was filled with Sakura's bright chatter. She got the feeling that Sasuke was actually listening even though he seemed busy staring out the windows. So she held onto one of the cool metal poles and let her body sway with the train as a soft woman's voice occasionally announced which stop was coming up next.

"What do you think, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura inquired just to test him. His dark eyebrows lifted just a little.

"I hate cats. Get a dog. Dogs are smart and not evil….usually," he responded without looking at her. Sakura let a gleeful grin stretch her mouth as she poked him in the stomach. Rolling his eyes, Sasuke finally turned his gaze to her.

"Oh, so Prince Sasuke was listening to this lowly peasant?" she teased with a little too much satisfaction.

"Shut up, Sakura. This is the stop," Sasuke sighed. He walked a little ways behind her as she happily skipped down the darkened streets. The warm glow of streetlights paired with a second pair of familiar footfalls with her was more than enough to lift her spirits. She hopped up the stairs to her floor before unlocking the door and carefully peering inside. Since the door looked undisturbed, Sakura logically knew that there was probably nothing wrong. But it didn't stop her from feeling just a little worried nonetheless.

"Just hurry up, Sakura. I'm sleepy," Sasuke grumbled, flicking the light switch near the door. She frowned at him, silently reminding that he had been the one to suggest this in the first place. With Sasuke rendered quiet, Sakura emptied her refrigerator of anything that would spoil into a clear plastic bag. She left it by the door, intending to take it out with her when they left. But when she ducked into her bedroom to find a bag, she returned and found both Sasuke and the garbage bag gone. A minute later, he stepped back inside with a bored expression. Sakura would have thanked him had he not let out an obnoxious yawn that told her to hurry along.

Sakura had no idea how long she would have to remain at her boyfriend's house and desperately wanted to delay washing her clothes there (especially since that included her undergarments). She stuffed a large amount of underwear and bras and socks into the bottom of her bag before neatly stacking other clothing on top the crucial layer. Tired of listening to Sasuke sigh and shift from foot to foot, Sakura rushed to finish packing and met him at the front door just a few minutes later. Since it was easier for Sasuke to walk home from Sakura's place than to go all the way back to Itachi's apartment, she insisted that he only accompany her as far as the train station. She cheerfully waved before heading across Konoha on the 15-minute ride. It had taken about less than an hour and by the time she used Itachi's keys, Itachi was still snoozing peacefully on the sofa.

"Itachi-kun," Sakura softly said as she perched on the armrest by his head. He was scowling in his sleep. At the sound of her voice, he stirred a little and let out a small sigh before he cracked one eye open.

"You're back? Did you get everything you need?" he asked.

"Wait, you heard us? I thought you were out cold," Sakura said. Itachi yawned in response.

"Not exactly. I was half-asleep, half-awake," Itachi explained as he sat up. He stretched his arms over his head before he looked over at her. Warmth fluttered through her when he brushed her hair out of her face and rested his hand on her cheek.

"Have you lost weight again?" he said in more of an observation than a question. Sakura looked down at her legs. She hadn't particularly noticed much difference. So when she shrugged, she was a little surprised to see Itachi's eyebrows furrow.

"You should take good care of yourself, Sakura," he chastised her. Sakura gaped at him while he managed to stand and move to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water. It was only when he finished gulping down the water that he finally noticed her staring at him. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"You have probably gotten collectively about 12 hours of sleep in the past week and you forget to eat because you're studying. And you're telling **me** to take better care of myself?" Sakura pointed out with a little huff. Itachi chuckled while setting his empty glass in the sink. He made his way back to the sofa and settled next to her. He reached into his pocket and then deposited something in her right hand.

"I had a copy made so you don't need to ring the doorbell like a stranger anymore," Itachi explained as Sakura held up the shiny silver key to the light. She swallowed hard. Sure, she was very much a novice when it came to relationships and the like, but she was rather certain that getting a key was a big step. Sakura shook her head, pushing the key back into his hands.

"I-I couldn't. I'm only staying here until everything gets sorted out," Sakura stammered out. But Itachi closed her fingers around the cool key and then closed his hands around hers.

"Sakura, like you just said, you're staying here for a little while. Until you leave, I want you to know that this is your home," he insisted.

"My home?" she asked, looking around.

"Our home," Itachi corrected himself with a little smile. He wrapped his arms around her waist and easily pulled her into his lap. Sakura braced herself for what was coming next, closing her eyes and waiting for the warm contact of his mouth on hers. She tried to swallow back the disappointment that filled her when his lips instead touched her left cheek. Before he could see her expression, Sakura quickly pulled on a smile.

"Alright?" he inquired.

* * *

"It's most definitely not alright. I'm confused, Hinata-chan. Is it weird to be confused?" Sakura grumbled against the straw stuck into her cup of soda. While she took a moment to gulp down some melon soda, she glanced over at Hinata. They were sitting at one of the white plastic tables located off the edge of the rink. As they sat in momentary silence, Naruto skated past and raised his arms in an enthusiastic wave, just barely avoiding colliding with a small child. Sasuke skated past, grabbed Naruto by the back of his jacket, and dragged him off to the other side, away from the girls.

"Well… I'd be confused too, I think," Hinata finally replied. Sakura made a strangled noise of frustration as she let her head fall to the table.

"I mean, Naruto-kun and I never talked about anything like that before," she added almost as an afterthought. Sakura's eyes widened when she saw Hinata's cheeks stay the same soft shade of peach as she spoke (and thought) about her boyfriend. Pointing a finger into her friend's face, Sakura bolted upright.

"Ah! Tell me what happened!" Sakura demanded. It was only then that Hinata's face began to brighten to the cheery shade of bright red that Sakura recognized.

"We….We sort of…um…. You know…. Did the special hug that guys and girls do alone?" Hinata admitted in the quietest whisper that Sakura only managed to hear because she was leaning across the table. With her mouth hanging wide open, Sakura stared at Hinata. Her innocent little friend who had, just months ago, nearly fainted at holding hands with her boyfriend…. Shaking her head, Sakura let out a deep sigh.

"Yo. Looking cheerful, Sakura. You just get here?" Tenten greeted in her usual chipper voice. Konan trailed a little ways behind her. They all eyed each other with surprise (well, Hinata more with confusion because she clearly had no idea who these people were) before Tenten raised an eyebrow. She had a pair of skates slung over her right shoulder dangling from the long white laces. Her brown hair had started falling out of its usual buns and Konan had some snow on the side of her leg.

"What's wrong?" the brunette asked.

Sakura leapt out of her seat and latched on to Tenten's arm like she was about to fall off a cliff and die otherwise. To Tenten's right, Konan simply blinked slowly. After a moment, Konan patted the top of Sakura's head.

"Spill your troubles to us. You look ready to explode….or murder someone. I'd prefer the latter," Konan said as she took a seat.

"Yeah. We promise not to laugh no matter how embarrassing or weird," Tenten added with a smile. Encouraged by the three friendly faces, Sakura took a deep breath and spoke. She recounted her conversation with Itachi about how he was willing to wait for her. While at the time his words had been unimaginably sweet and understanding, they had become somewhat of a burden on her. And then she went on to babble about their weird encounter last night, how she had actually been waiting for a kiss and gotten something less than she had expected. As soon as she was finished talking, Sakura looked up at her friends' faces. Konan bit down on her lower lip to quiet herself. This worked for all of five seconds before she began giggling. And this apparently triggered Tenten who exploded into full-bellied guffaws that almost sounded unrealistic coming out of such a tiny body.

"Oh our baby's all grown up!" Tenten howled, beating her fist against the table.

"YOU PROMISED NOT TO LAUGH!" Sakura complained. Tenten only laughed harder until tears were streaming from her eyes. She held onto Hinata's shoulders, shaking the younger girl from the force of her guffaws. Konan covered her mouth with her hand to try to hide that she was still snickering just a little.

"The guy gives you a key but can't go all the way with you? It's like I'm reading a badly written fanfiction or something!" Tenten hooted.

"Seriously! Help me, you guys. What's wrong with me?" Sakura practically wailed, slapping her palms down on the table.

"Honey, it's not what's wrong with you. It's what's wrong….or very right…about this guy," Tenten managed to say between peals of laughter. When Sakura stared blankly at her, Tenten only started laughing so much that she no longer made any noise. She shook with silent howls that left her wheezing for breath. Sakura looked over at Hinata but Hinata shook her head to say that she had no idea either.

"Listen, Sakura, Itachi is a….what was the word you used earlier, Tenten? A wimp?" Konan began. Sakura had been taking a sip of her soda and promptly choked as carbonated beverage nearly went up her nose. Coughing, she looked over at Konan who was sitting looking quite innocent.

"In essence, Itachi tried to play the role of the good guy but instead put all this added pressure on you," Konan surmised. Sakura nodded furiously.

"And now all you can really think about around him is **that**, right?"

Sakura bobbed her head even harder this time.

"And this worries you because you _don't_ want to do that with him?"

When Sakura hesitated, Tenten lightly shoved Konan's arm with hers.

"No, senpai. Sakura's freaking out because she wants to know what she should do to let Mr. Blockhead know that she's ready to….you know," Tenten explained. All four girls jumped when something rammed into the side of the ice rink just next to their table. They looked up to find Naruto leaning against the edge with his arms dangling over.

"Hey there Tenten-senpai. Ready to what?" he asked. Sasuke skidded to a stop right behind him. Sakura raised her eyebrows at him and Sasuke glared at her.

"Yo, moron, let's get some ramen. I'll buy," Sasuke sighed, clapping Naruto on the shoulder. As Naruto cheered, Sasuke took an extra moment to stare at Sakura to let her know him that she owed him big. Sasuke would mostly likely leave broke after Naruto ate his fill.

"Anyway, Sakura, with a guy like Itachi, you need to be subtle. If you try to bring up sex in front of him for real, he'd probably freak out," Tenten explained. This made Sakura narrow her eyes.

"Why? How was it for you and Hyuuga-senpai?" Sakura queried. Neji hardly seemed like the romantic type and she wondered what her friend even saw in him sometimes. His cruel sense of humor was admittedly hysterical but she couldn't ever imagine him buying flowers or saying anything mushy.

"Oh I jumped him one day. Kind of held him down and had my way," Tenten replied with a sheepish expression.

"So you raped him," Konan commented. It was Sakura's turn to explode with laughter at that. To her surprise, Tenten joined in for a bit.

"No. He was trying to ask my permission and stuff and was blabbing about doing it 'the right way' so I kind of hurried things along. If you ask me, I think he enjoyed it," Tenten corrected with a dreamy expression. Hinata looked faintly nauseated at discussing her cousin's sex life so they quickly changed direction.

"So Sakura, you need to be discrete with Itachi. Do little things like….uh…. Konan-senpai?" Tenten trailed off so Konan continued.

"A brush to his arm, keeping your hair wet after you shower, let your legs touch when you sit next to him…hm… Oh, wear big t-shirts with shorts. Guys seem to love that. And start using perfume," Konan listed off. Sakura cocked her head to the side.

"Perfume?" she repeated.

"Oh yes. Men love it when your scent lingers on anything. And just constantly be touching him but in a really gentle and fleeting way. Like you didn't realize or something," Konan finished off, looking very satisfied with herself. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"That's it?" Sakura asked with a little tinge of disappointment. Tenten scoffed.

"That's some quality advice, kiddo. Let us know how things are going in about a week or so. We've got to go. Nice meeting you, Sakura's friend," Tenten said as she got to her feet. She bumped her fist lightly against Sakura's arm before she headed off. Konan offered a soft smile as she stood too. Sakura caught the edge of her sleeve before she could turn to leave.

"I'm sorry for last time, Konan-senpai…you know, for butting in between you and Dei-chan," Sakura blurted out. Konan stared at her like she had no idea what she was talking about.

"That was a problem exacerbated by years of miscommunication and anger. He got to shout and I got to throw a lamp at him. Overall, it was a rather cathartic experience," Konan simply said before she patted Sakura's cheek and was off.

Hinata and Sakura sat in silence for a long while.

"I think she did rape my cousin, Sakura-chan," Hinata finally remarked.

"Let's not talk about that," Sakura sighed.

"So you're going to seduce your boyfriend?" inquired Hinata.

"I guess…" was the weary response before her forehead hit the table.

* * *

As it turned out, seducing Uchiha Itachi was like trying to teach a dolphin to play racquetball.

By the end of the first week, Sakura wasn't sure who she hated more: Itachi or herself.

It started off with tiny things like leaving her hair wet after taking a shower and starting to use a body mist called 'Sweetie Apple Pie' which, as the name suggested, smelled like apples and happiness and all things sugary. The first day she had used it, she had been slapped with countless compliments all the way from Naruto (endearing but slightly irritating) to Sasori (endearing but slightly terrifying). She started changing into her pajamas earlier, wearing them around the apartment when she made tea or did her homework at the kitchen table. It was nothing fancy, a simple t-shirt and shorts. She didn't see why any guy would find that so attractive but Tenten hounded her with text messages every day to check her progress to Sakura did as she was told.

But after seven days, Itachi was utterly unchanged. Sakura decided that either he was a moron or she was a moron. She still couldn't decide which it was.

On the seventh day, as she was waiting for the rice cooker to finish so they could eat dinner, Sakura noticed Itachi sitting on the sofa and reading through some sort of book. With quiet steps, she crept up behind the sofa to read over his shoulder. She hoped it was for his French conversation course. She loved listening to him read those books out loud.

"Is this….a romance novel?" Sakura asked when she got through the first few sentences. Itachi chuckled.

"It's for my modern literature course. It's actually quite interesting. The dynamic between the main character and his love interest wavers is filled with a lot of tension. And the protagonist's inaction is surprisingly frustrating for the reader," Itachi commented. Sakura raised an eyebrow. Did he have any idea just how ironic that was coming out of his mouth?

"Is something bothering you lately? You seem tired," Itachi suddenly asked.

Sakura wondered what he would do if she hit him in the face with his stupid book.

"I'm fine," Sakura replied, shaking her head.

After a filling meal of soba, Sakura sat sulking over her homework as she listened to Itachi do the dishes. Her calculus homework seemed to be laughing up at her for having apparently no sex appeal so she stuffed it back into her folder and let out a frustrated huff.

"Something is bothering you." This time, it wasn't a question. She turned in her seat to watch Itachi dry off his hands with a clean rag before he settled in the chair next to hers. Sakura stared at him for a long time while he waited for her to speak. Her mouth opened once and then closed. Puffing her cheeks out, Sakura suddenly stood, gathering up all her books into her arms.

"Nothing! Good night!" Sakura grumped out before retreating to the bedroom and locking the door behind her. She dropped her books in the general area of her schoolbag before she climbed up to the loft and sprawled out on the bed. After an extra moment of sulking, she picked up her cell phone and found Tenten's number.

_'It isn't working.'_

After a minute, Sakura's phone vibrated. She was always glad that Tenten was a fast typist.

_'What is this guy, a monk? I guess this calls for plan B.'_

_'Plan B?'_

_'We're going shopping this weekend. Prepare to become poor.'_

* * *

*****Melonpan= google that shiet. It's basically cookie dough on top of bread. It's absolutely delicious, especially the kind with actual melon flavoring.

*Hambagu steak= google this too. And then make it for yourself and eat it and be happy. It's the Asian version of a hamburger usually served over rice with some kind of sauce. It's like the god of happiness and food showered rainbows on your taste buds.


	19. Distance

You thought it would be 2 am, right? Wrong! It's 3:30 am and I have so much coffee in my system that I might be worried about my cardiac health. As some may have seen on my tumblr, this fic is slated to end quite soon. So fear not, things will be resolved and I'm sure you've all figured out the real ending involving Sasori flying off into the sunset on a unicorn. I'll try to fall back on my old schedule of updating on Fridays from now on but I can't promise much.

Still, love to all you readers who have kept up with my irregular and weird writing up until now.

Enjoy!

* * *

Fancy Footwork

Chapter 19: Distance

"I think Sakura's trying to kill me, senpai."

Sasori blinked very slowly as he watched Itachi settle in the empty seat between him and Deidara. Kisame was nearby chatting with a group of his classmates who had happened to be at the same bar. Sasori stirred his appletini with his lollipop, earning an indignant stare from the bartender. Seemingly oblivious, Sasori stuck his candy in his mouth and then took a sip of his green drink. Deidara was busy finishing off his third Bahama Mama of the night despite Kisame's nagging that they were only having 'girly drinks'. Sasori pretended not to notice when Kisame ordered a Bahama Mama too and then proceeded to gulp them down for the rest of the night with gusto.

"Like standing over you with a knife? I thought that doesn't happen until you get married," Sasori remarked. Kisame, who had just wandered over to greet Itachi, let out a loud snort of laughter.

"Wait, I thought you were designated driver for tonight," Itachi said, pointing to Sasori's glass.

"We took a taxi here. I feel the need to get extremely drunk tonight and maybe hit Deidara a little more than usual," Sasori replied with a shrug. Itachi ordered a beer, and handed the bartender a tip before he ushered everyone to a more secluded table where they could talk without having to awkwardly crane over each other's shoulders.

"So why do you think Sakura-chan's trying to kill you?" Kisame demanded as they slid into a booth. Itachi immediately regretted being stuck between Kisame and Deidara since they had a habit of getting so drunk to the point that they would start apologizing to each other for constantly insulting one another with tears and some hugging. Sasori calmly sat to Deidara's left, continuing to stir his drink with his lollipop while the bartender continued to glare at him for abusing his delicious concoction.

"Maybe I've put her at too much ease. She's…changed," Itachi began with a heavy sigh. Deidara chuckled.

"Lacy underwear, yeah," Deidara whispered loudly to Kisame despite the fact that Itachi was sitting right next to him.

"No, you sick bastard. She's just….I don't know. It's the little things driving me insane," Itachi insisted, knocking his fist into the back of Deidara's hand.

"Does she squeeze from the top of the toothpaste/?" asked Kisame.

"Or does she talk in her sleep?" Sasori added.

"I bet she fries eggs sunnyside up instead of down," Deidara suggested with a lopsided grin.

"No, I wouldn't know, and yes but I like them sunnyside up," Itachi replied. Kisame frowned.

"Wait. You wouldn't know? Shit, Itachi, you're not that much of a heavy sleeper, are you?" he interrupted again. In response, Itachi slapped his hands down on the table, making everyone else jump a little.

"**We. Haven't. Been. Doing. Anything. Like. That**," Itachi ground out through clenched teeth. Sasori blinked.

"You wouldn't happen to be gay by any chance, would you? Because I wouldn't care if you were but I'd totally steal Sakura-chan away from you," Sasori responded with such a serious expression that Itachi got the feeling that he was only half-joking. Fortunately for Itachi, this strange exchange was interrupted by Kisame and Deidara throwing their arms over his shoulders and laughing at him.

"You poor little kid. All innocent and crap, are we? Don't worry, kid. Deidara and Kisame will teach you, yeah," Deidara snorted. To Itachi's right, Kisame belched and Itachi was almost grateful that the sweet pineapple-coconut smell masked the horrid stench of the burp.

"But what's My-chan been doing that's been killing you so much, hm?" the blonde asked as he finished off his drink and began picking apart the wedge of pineapple placed on the edge of his glass. At this, Itachi's shoulders slumped as he let his head fall into his hands.

"I don't know. She's been walking around in shorts with these big t-shirts," Itachi began by listing the first thing that came to mind. Kisame tilted his head to the side.

"Why would that bother you?" he demanded. Deidara and Sasori shook their heads at him.

"Clearly you don't understand the loli-type appeal My-chan still possesses. A big shirt makes her look cute and small while the shorts accentuate the slenderness of her legs. Don't you know anything, Eel-chan?" Deidara snorted while Sasori nodded over his shoulder like a dead-eyed bobble head. Kisame cringed.

"All three of you are pedophiles," he muttered.

"And I think she's changed her shampoo or body wash. She smells kind of like apples now. But it's all over EVERYTHING. Like her face towel and my shirt if she hugs me or the bathroom after she showers. I'm starting to smell it in my dreams…." Itachi broke off when Deidara began laughing again.

"Man, you're clueless," the blonde sighed, thumping his friend on the back. Sasori nodded again in agreement as he slipped out of the booth to order more drinks.

"What else?" Kisame urged. When Itachi was silent for a long time, Kisame and Deidara eyed each other with confusion.

"She's…. she's always touching me but not in a weird way," Itachi admitted. Deidara raised his eyebrows and Kisame raised his back.

"It'll be tiny things. Like we'll be on the sofa watching a movie and she'll just kind of put her hand on my thigh for a second when she gets up. Or we'll be washing dishes and she'll have to reach past me to get something- I sound crazy don't I?"

"You're in a relationship. You **are **crazy, moron," Kisame scoffed as Sasori returned with a round of fresh drinks. Everyone thanked him and clicked glasses together.

"I think it's crazy obvious what's going on here. Don't you think so?" Deidara declared while everyone else took a sip of his individual drink. Itachi just stared at him while Sasori shrugged a little and Kisame shook his head, guffawing.

"My-chan's trying to seduce you, Retard-kun," Deidara explained, watching with some satisfaction as Itachi nearly spit out his beer. Sasori thumped him on his back with such an uncaring look that it just appeared that he was hitting him for the fun of it. Kisame began choking loudly on a piece of ice and gesturing widely for help. But everyone just stared at him until the ice melted and Kisame was left looking supremely embarrassed.

"Have you ever considered who Sakura's closest older girl friend might be?" Sasori prompted while Itachi dabbed at the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

"…Konan-senpai," Itachi and Kisame sighed at the same time. It was no small secret (thanks to Deidara) that Konan and Pein enjoyed an array of piercings in strange places. As the realization sunk in, Itachi blanched and Kisame chugged down the rest of his drink like his life depended on it. Sasori simply raised an eyebrow as he bit down on his lollipop.

"It started off with the cartilage, yeah. Next thing you know, she'll have a nose ring and a tongue ring and a nipple ring…" Deidara mused.

"…Nipple….ring?" Itachi asked in a small voice. Kisame punched the back of Deidara's head and went back to looking mildly traumatized. The table fell oddly quiet in the rather busy bar. Itachi watched Deidara raise his eyebrows in silent communication to Sasori. Sasori blinked a couple times and then dipped his head in a small nod.

"Hey! Hey, you assholes, I was only joking, yeah," Deidara suddenly announced. Kisame lifted his head, revealing a single tear sliding down his cheek as he imagined his Kitten riddled with piercings. Itachi didn't react at all.

"My-chan's a good girl and she's smart. She won't do crap like that just because Konan does it. Man, you're so dumb-owowowowow!"

Itachi interrupted Deidara's speech by pinching Deidara's nose between his thumb and pointer finger and pulling as hard as he could. Only when his friend's nose had been rendered a pleasant shade of pink did Itachi release him.

"Don't talk ever again, Deidara," Itachi sighed before he looked over at Kisame. They sadly clinked their glasses together before they drank and ignored Deidara cackling proudly.

"I love screwing with them, yeah," Deidara jeered. Sasori took his now clean lollipop stick and dropped it into Deidara's drink, earning an indignant shout.

"You're a moron," Sasori remarked without remorse.

* * *

About a week before Itachi's birthday, Haruno Sakura found herself in a small boutique in Shibuya. The numbers on the price tags were so outrageous that she honestly considered leaving. But according to Konan (and according to her mother too) these were actually reasonable prices for such nice clothing. When Sakura had called to let her know that she would be using some money, Kirie had burst into excited squeals about how her daughter was growing up and finally realizing the importance of fashion (most likely in the middle of an important business meeting).

Sakura sighed heavily. It was like nobody wanted to save her from wasting money.

"Sakura, you're less like a teenage girl and more like a wilting housewife. Relax," Tenten remarked as she looked over her shoulder. Sakura stared at the black bleached skinny jeans in her hands and had to swallow to keep herself from drooling.

"Try these on. I've got another pile waiting for you. I asked Sasori for your measurements so these should fit," Konan ordered, dropping a mountain of clothing into Sakura's lap. Sakura craned her neck to peer over at Konan.

"You're….talking to Sasori-san?" Sakura asked.

"Well, I actually asked Deidara but Deidara directed me to Sasori," Konan amended.

"So you're friends with Dei-chan now?" inquired Sakura as she let Tenten pull her to her feet and push her in the direction of the dressing room. Konan looked confused.

"Well….not really. We're actually meaner to each other. He calls me names and I get to call him names too. It's almost like our relationship is worse than before," Konan admitted. Tenten laughed.

"That's called friendship, senpai. I call my friend Lee 'creeper' all the time," Tenten assured her before she shoved Sakura past the curtain and into the mirrored room.

Sakura wondered if it should bother her that Sasori still knew all her measurements off the top of his head. Her worries were brushed aside when she saw what her friends had picked out for her. When Tenten had declared that Sakura needed a wardrobe change, Sakura had half-expected to be drowned in slinky leopard-print dresses and low-cut shirts. Instead, her lap had disappeared under a pile of light cotton shirts and jackets that she would normally wear during dance practice. Shrugging, she dumped the pile on the floor and picked out a shirt and jeans at random. When she opened the curtain, Tenten promptly pounced, shaking her head furiously.

"Hold my phone, senpai. I need to educate this girl," Tenten sighed, shoving her cell phone into Konan's hands before she pushed Sakura back inside and yanked the curtains shut. Sakura stood in the corner with wide eyes as she watched Tenten paw through the mountain of clothing. She had never expected tomboy Tenten to be so rabid about fashion. As if reading her thoughts, Tenten looked up.

"Hey, I always wanted a little sister. Besides, I can't wear a lot of this stuff because of my wide shoulders," Tenten sulked a little. She then handed Sakura a sleeveless white hoodie. When Sakura began pulling it on over her shirt, Tenten groaned.

"No, dummy. Lose the shirt," Tenten ordered. Sakura blushed as she looked at the sides of the hoodie. The armholes were so low-cut that it would completely expose the sides of her bra.

"That's kind of the point. We're going for a sort of semi-revealing but athletic look. You've got to show off skin while acting like you didn't mean to," Tenten prompted. Even though she wasn't completely sure, Sakura trusted Tenten so she shed her shirt and pulled the hoodie on. What ensued was like a revolving door of trying on clothing. She would wear whatever Tenten handed to her, be shoved outside so Konan could approve, and then yanked back inside for another round of outfits. By the time they went through both mountains, Sakura felt in dire need of a nap. Out of all the things that had looked good, they had only chosen enough to fit into two bags so Sakura's wallet was a little grateful.

"Okay. Next is the sexy lingerie store," Tenten declared, grabbing onto Sakura's arm.

"Excuse me?" Sakura blurted out as she half-ran to keep up with her two friends' excited strides.

"This one is more Konan-senpai's department," Tenten admitted as they crossed a bustling street and stopped in front of a store. The black letters above the door were painted as if made of out fishnet and lace. Sakura read the word 'Temptation' and promptly turned on her heel to escape. Konan and Tenten hooked their arms through hers and dragged her inside the store anyway. The front displays were an array of garters and thongs that made Sakura blush furiously at the mere thought of just what wasn't being covered.

"Relax. I'm not trying to kill Itachi," Konan sighed when they reached the back of the store. Here the selections were much less traumatic. There were colorful boyshorts in an array of bright colors and cute patterns. Some of the bras on mannequins were in sweet shades of pastel with polka dots or patterns of seashells. Sakura stared at the sharp contrast between seductive fishnet and cutesy colors a few times before Konan noticed and smiled.

"An old mentor of mine opened up this store last year. The idea was to cater to both the sexy style and the innocent style that guys seem to like the most. Besides, I get to bribe him into giving me a good discount if I'm here," Konan said. As she spoke, a man with chin-length brown hair and a cocky grin came out of the door labeled 'Employees Only'. Held between his grinning teeth was a long toothpick that bounced in time with his words.

"Yo. Konan. Long time no see. You here for Nagato's birthday again?" he asked.

"That's not until September, senpai. I'm here for my friend here," Konan replied, gesturing to Sakura who waved shyly. The man eyed her carefully, rubbing his chin in that way that all of Sasori and Deidara's friends seemed to do whenever she was introduced to them. She wondered if it was a thing that all people involved in the fashion or beauty industry did. After a moment, he flashed another grin and patted the top of Sakura's head.

"She's a cute one. You need a job? I could use a model for my store's magazine for next month," he suggested. Without batting an eye, Konan karate-chopped the top of his head.

"She's 17, old fart. Besides, we're here to help her seduce her boyfriend," Konan interrupted.

"Boyfriend, eh? You look like the type with a pretty stylish boyfriend. Someone kind of adventurous and fun-loving," he commented, rubbing at his chin again.

"She's dating that Uchiha kid," Konan interrupted again. It seemed to take a moment for this to process. But when it did, the man threw his head back and roared with laughter. Somehow, the toothpick managed to stay perfectly safely in his mouth during this.

"You've got it tough then, kid. My name's Shiranui Genma. I used to be a guest lecturer at Konoha U," he finally introduced himself, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes.

"This is Haruno Sakura and our friend Tenten," Konan responded for her.

"Alright, with that sullen Uchiha kid, we're going to need to stay far away from the exciting stuff then. Come with me," Genma chuckled as he led them to one of the displays.

In what was probably one of the oddest nights during her existence, Sakura allowed a strange man to pick out underwear and bras for her. And to her surprise, he was surprisingly cordial about it with a minimum of perverted jokes and remarks. She found out that Genma actually designed each of these pieces and had a couple other stores open throughout Japan. After she had paid (at an extremely discounted price thanks to Konan's judging glare directed at the unfortunate owner), Genma left the store to his employee and took them all out to dinner at a nearby yakiniku* restaurant. There, over a grill filled with delicious beef and pork, Genma regaled with tales of Konan's mishaps with people during her freshman year at college. People in general either seemed to interpret Konan's calm demeanor as apathy or irritation which led to a whole slew of interesting adventures.

Laughing and with bellies filled with delicious food, they parted ways outside the restaurant, unexpected friends. By the time Sakura made it back to Itachi's apartment, it was a little past midnight and she was beyond tired. She was certain if she could have, she would have fallen asleep standing up in the subway. She wasn't too surprised when she opened the door and found the place empty. Itachi had mentioned meeting up with the guys for a drink tonight and he had warned her not to be too worried if he ended up sleeping at Kisame's place.

Sakura barely had the energy left to slip off her shoes and brush her teeth. While she had planned to put away all her loot from the day's work, she gave up and left the shopping bags next to her duffel bags underneath the loft. She began changing into pajamas and changed her mind halfway. Her grey t-shirt came nearly to her knees and she could just pretend that it was a nightgown from the 60's or something. So, half-dressed, she crawled into bed and was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Around 3 am, the door to the apartment opened and there were slurred voices trying to hush one another. After some laughing and snorting, shoes were discarded and there was some noise as hips knocked against tables and walls. Sakura, fortunately, was mostly dead from exhaustion and slept through the ruckus without a single care in the world.

* * *

Sunday morning was punctuated by Sakura shrieking and falling off the bed. The noise succeeded in doing a couple things.

First, Itachi, who was sprawled out on the sofa in the living room, blearily woke, noticed Deidara snoring on the floor and kicked him in the side to rouse him.

Second, Sasori, who had managed to fall asleep in the bathtub, jolted awake.

Third, Kisame, who had managed to climb up to the loft during the night and collapse on the bed, looked frantically from Sakura's bare legs to his body. To his relief, he was still wearing his shirt and jeans from the night before. This seemed to do little to comfort Sakura who promptly began trying to scramble down the ladder from the loft while Kisame tried to stop her from slipping and falling and dying.

The scene that Itachi and Deidara walked in on was pants-less Sakura trying to escape while Kisame held on to her arm. Itachi grabbed the nearest object (which just happened to be Sakura's shopping bag) and lobbed it at Kisame's head. And while it succeeded in making Kisame let go, what happened to spill out of the bag was an array of underwear and bras. Deidara rushed forward in time to catch Sakura before she lost her footing and slipped off the ladder.

So Sasori walked in on Deidara holding pants-less Sakura, Kisame sprawled over the bed with a lacy white bra draped over his head, and Itachi holding a pair of blue polka-dot underwear with a dumbstruck expression. Sasori looked over this scene for a moment before he closed the door.

"Sorry for intruding," he said through the door.

"EVERYONE PLEASE GET OUT!" Sakura yelled, making everyone flinch. Slowly, Deidara lowered her to her feet and slunk outside. As Kisame climbed down, Sakura snatched her bra off his head. When Itachi walked up to her, she yanked her underwear from his hands and proceeded to shove him out the door too. She stood in the middle of the room scattered with her underthings before she crawled back up to the loft and buried herself.

An hour later, Deidara carefully knocked on the door. Everyone else had made him go since Sakura was least likely to break his teeth for touching her undergarments or for making a stupid comment. It took a moment but the lock clicked and one of Sakura's acid green eyes glared out at him. The comforter from the bed was wrapped around her like an enormous blue cocoon.

"Um… My-chan… we made breakfast, yeah. You hungry?" Deidara hesitantly asked. Sakura looked ready to slam the door on his already suspiciously red nose. But she looked down at her stomach and then nodded before Deidara left her again. She pulled on a pair of sweatpants and left the comforter wrapped around her before she shuffled out into the kitchen. Kisame was lying on the floor with a pair of sunglasses on, moaning about his head killing him. Sasori stood at the sink, leaning over with a faintly nauseated expression. Aside from their hair being a little messy, Deidara and Itachi simply looked tired.

Sakura glared at everything before she took the seat farthest away from everyone else. With a nervous grin, Deidara set down a plate with a cheesy omelet on it. Sakura's eyes followed him as he moved around getting a piece of toast and pouring a cup of coffee for her. Her eyebrows rose when he also proceeded to pour her orange juice, get jelly and butter for her and also begin adding milk and sugar to her coffee.

"Uh… so… eat up? You must be starving. What did you buy yesterday?" Deidara babbled as Sakura slowly picked up the toast and nibbled on the edge of it, forgoing all jelly and butter. Sakura calmly set the toast back down and then looked up, her gaze flickering from Itachi to Kisame.

"I don't know, Dei-chan. I'm sure you could tell me what I got yesterday," Sakura replied a little crisply. Deidara blanched, Kisame made a faint gurgling noise, and Sasori simply nodded sagely. Itachi looked like he wanted to sink into the ground and die.

"Uh…well… any big plans for today then?" Deidara tried again. Sakura crammed the toast into her mouth and gulped down the entire mug of coffee in one go.

"Yes," she simply said as she stood and strode off to the bedroom. There, she found that she didn't have many clean clothes so she simply grabbed a pair of grey leggings she had bought yesterday. There were black ribbons lacing up the sides, revealing tiny strips of her thighs and calves. On top she pulled on a pair of black shorts and a light blue t-shirt with the word 'Frumpy' written across the front in fat black letters. According to Konan it meant something like unkempt or messy in English which Sakura figured fit her pretty well at this point in her life. She yanked her hair back into a ponytail before she grabbed her favorite cross-body bag and was out the door. As she walked past, she could hear Deidara trying to articulate words but only making strange croaking noises. Sakura stuffed her feet into sneakers and then left.

Sakura wasn't really mad. She was embarrassed and annoyed but not really angry. She needed to be away just for a little bit. As she took the familiar path down to the subway station, Sakura considered her options. She could head to Hinata's house and potentially give her friend a heart attack. She could go to KU and spill to Konan who would probably just sigh and shake her head. She could visit Tenten and be laughed at. She also knew that Sasuke would probably be at school right now for basketball practice and Naruto might be with him. Sighing and thinking, Sakura found herself swiping to get through the turnstiles to catch a train to Konoha High.

Sundays at school were peaceful times. There was generally no one around but the really dedicated sports teams and occasionally some students during times like the cultural festival. Sakura passed the main entrance to loop around to the back of the school building. It was no surprise to find the entire basketball team running around on the track. Shoving her hands into her back pockets, Sakura crossed the grassy field until she could clearly hear Naruto shouting encouragements to his teammates. He and Sasuke were in the front of the pack and the heat from the morning sun had forced more than a few of the boys to lose their shirts. Naruto, of course was included in this group since he never seemed capable of tolerating any sort of heat. Sasuke had gone on a more modest route of rolling up the sleeves of his white t-shirt.

Sasuke and Naruto had decided to share the responsibilities of being captain of the basketball team just after the previous captain graduated during the spring. Everyone liked Naruto and everyone respected Sasuke so the combination was pretty effective. Sakura leaned back on her heels as she watched the team loop around the track. They had apparently been at it for a while judging from the sweaty faces and labored breathing. As the team made their way around the bend, Sakura lifted her hand in a little wave.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto promptly exclaimed. He bolted off the path and ran over to the fence Sakura was leaning against.

"What brings you here?" he asked. Sakura took a moment to wave at Sasuke who gave her a nod as he ran past. The rest of the team, groaning and complaining, trailed after him. When she turned back to Naruto, his forehead was puckered as he surveyed her.

"You're looking…different today," Naruto noted. When Sakura didn't respond, Naruto frowned.

"Is something wrong? You're usually not here on Sunday," he queried. With a deep sigh, Sakura grabbed a handful of the chain-link fence, curling her fingers around the shiny metal.

"I'm kind of here to harass Sasuke with my complaints. You mind if I bother you guys?" Sakura admitted. They stood quietly as they watched the team loop around the track again.

"Oi! Sasuke! Let's ease up the pace. Sakura-chan's got some news!" Naruto yelled as Sasuke drew closer. With a disapproving scowl, Sasuke turned around to relay the news. An exuberant cheer rose as everyone began moving at a much less stressful brisk walk. Sakura jogged in through the open gate and was quickly joined by Naruto as they caught up to Sasuke. Sakura slowed to Sasuke's leisurely pace as she fell into step to his left. Naruto sidled up to her left to listen in.

"You're looking like hell," Sasuke immediately commented. Sakura shrugged.

"I had a pretty disturbing morning," she responded. At this, Sasuke rolled his eyes and jabbed an accusatory finger in Naruto's direction.

"Disturbing? I woke up to this moron banging my front door down. The only way it could have been more obnoxious and irritating was if it were Gai-sensei," Sasuke snorted.

"I woke up to a man in my bed," Sakura calmly countered. They continued on in silence for a few more steps before a high-pitched gasp escaped Naruto. He grabbed onto Sakura's arm, shaking her furiously until Sasuke reached over to snatch Sakura from their friend's frantic grasp. He pulled Sakura over to his right, away from Naruto's flailing arms.

"I'm guessing it was that guy with blue hair," Sasuke surmised.

"Yeah. I think they came home pretty drunk. And….it was a little chaotic," Sakura sighed. To her surprise, Sasuke patted the top of her head. She got the feeling that he had been traumatized in a similar manner before. They turned their heads to look over at Naruto who was trailing after them, opening and closing his mouth like a dying fish.

"Nothing happened, you idiot. Go take the guys to the gym for some drills. I need to talk to Sakura about something," Sasuke ordered. Naruto's eyes darted back and forth between his two friends for a minute. Muttering something under his breath, he abruptly turned to address the members of his team. Sasuke waited for the team to disappear into the school before he started talking again.

"You okay?"

Sakura blinked a few times. There was a familiar wrinkle in his forehead as he looked her over.

"Yeah-" she began but Sasuke flicked her in the nose, making her squeak.

"Liar. You've been looking like crap these last few days. What's wrong?" he interrupted her. Sakura pouted as she rubbed at her nose, shooting him a half-hearted glare.

"I'm fine. Stop abusing me, you butthole," she muttered. Sasuke's disapproving gaze lingered on her for another minute before he let out a long sigh. He put his left hand in his pocket and his right arm over Sakura's shoulder as he led her back into the school building.

"Stay for practice. Maybe you can scare these brats into listening for once," Sasuke grumbled. Sakura quirked a smile as they stepped into the gym. Everyone was sitting on the bleachers and listening to Naruto give some sort of pep talk. Sakura started when she realized that there were two relatively unfamiliar faces among the crowd. Sakura nudged Sasuke with her elbow and he raised his eyebrows at her.

"Ah. Hozuki Suigetsu and Jugo. They're stepbrothers," Sasuke whispered. They stood in the doorway, not wanting to draw attention away from Naruto. Sakura thought for a moment and then she nudged Sasuke again.

"Aren't they the two guys in your class you keep avoiding?" she inquired. Sasuke's nostrils flared.

"Them and that stupid Karin girl keep calling themselves my best friends," he sighed in response. Sakura giggled quietly and Sasuke bumped his shoulder into hers, scowling. When Naruto began breaking up the team into pairs for drills, Sakura hopped onto the newly freed bleachers and watched practice. A few curious glances were thrown her way, especially from the seniors who recognized her, but Naruto and Sasuke were quick to reclaim their attention. After half an hour, they took a break to chug down water and Naruto jumped up onto the row of bleachers in front of her with a bright grin.

"Do you remember last year how I would beg you to stay and watch how cool I was at practice? What happened, Sakura-chan? Have you finally fallen for my charms?" Naruto teased. Sakura didn't even have to respond because Sasuke came up behind him and ground his knuckles against his right temple.

"Moron," Sasuke muttered before he took a swig from his water bottle and threw another one into Naruto's lap. Sasuke stepped over Naruto and sat down at Sakura's right to watch the rest of the team mingle.

"We're going to be done in around an hour. I'm heading straight home after. Are you coming?" asked Sasuke, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Sure. As long as you don't stink," Sakura replied with a smile. At this, Naruto tapped her foot to get her attention.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan. Prince Sasuke here smells like potpourri and sunshine no matter what," the blonde snickered, earning a death glare from Sasuke. Sakura bit down on her lower lip to try to quell the laughter that threatened to escape. But when Sasuke directed his angry stare at her, she burst out giggling and Naruto added his loud voice to the mix, slapping his thighs and pointing. When they had begun to calm down, Sakura opened her eyes in time to see Suigetsu wandering over with Jugo not far behind. She had heard from some of her friends that the two brothers were rarely apart and followed Sasuke just about everywhere (much to her dear friend's supreme irritation).

"Uh, hey, Sasuke," Suigetsu began, raising a hand in greeting. Naruto nodded back while Sasuke chose to simply stare until he spoke again.

"So…. are you going to introduce me to your friend?" he inquired. Naruto and Sasuke stared at each other before they glanced at Sakura in unison and then stared Suigetsu down.

"Well, I can introduce myself. I'm Haruno Sakura and you're Hozuki Suigetsu…and Hozuki Jugo," Sakura added with a polite nod to Jugo who immediately flushed a surprising shade of bright pink. Suigetsu raised his eyebrows as a sly grin bordering on a leer stretched his mouth. Sasuke promptly threw a water bottle that Suigetsu easily dodged.

"Down, boy. She's taken," Sasuke snapped and Naruto nodded furiously with his arms crossed over his chest.

"And she's the student council president so don't mess with her. We'll mess you up and then she'll kill you a second time," Naruto warned sternly.

"What. The rumors are true? Are you two dating?" Suigetsu demanded, arching an eyebrow. Sakura and Sasuke stared at each other for a moment before they pointed at each other and Sakura burst out in derisive laughter. She collapsed against his shoulder, shaking from the force of her mirth.

"Date this unfriendly guy?" Sakura gasped out, tearing just a little. Sasuke nodded.

"Yeah. And me date this violent girl who eats too much?" he added. Before Suigetsu could say anything else, Naruto jumped to his feet and yelled for everyone to assemble. By then, Sakura had calmed down a little but continued to let out the occasional snigger whenever she met Sasuke's eyes.

"You know, you don't have to laugh so hard. You're hurting my feelings," he grumped out. When Sakura gave him a dubious look until he sighed.

"You're right. I'm too perfect to get insulted by something like that," he relented and Sakura made gagging noises at his fake arrogance.

"Hey, you asshole. Stop flirting with Sakura-chan and come help me!" Naruto interrupted them, tossing a basketball that Sasuke caught. Scowling, Sasuke flung it back straight at Naruto, hitting him right in the forehead.

"Shut up, idiot," Sasuke sighed as he hopped off the bleacher and shoved Naruto with his shoulder as he passed. When he glanced back at Sakura, she was laughing a little as she shook her head.

Once practice was over and Sasuke and Naruto sent the groaning team home with sore muscles, Sakura waited for the two of them to shower and change. She sat on the front steps of the school, checking through the text messages flooding her inbox. The first ten were from Deidara alternately apologizing and insulting his friends. The next ten were from Kisame apologizing in capital letters and misspelling all his words as he probably panicked. The next one was from Itachi apologizing for barging into her room even though it was technically his room. And the last was from Sasori that simply read:

_You have supreme taste in undergarments._

Sakura didn't know whether to be terrified of Sasori or not. But it still made her laugh.

Naruto went off for his date with Hinata, leaving Sakura and Sasuke to head to the Uchiha house. By the time they caught their train and walked, they found Itachi's car already sitting in the driveway. Sasuke looked worried but Sakura simply shrugged and walked straight through the front door as she had done countless times before. Fugaku greeted her in his uniform, which was an unusual occurrence.

"I'm heading down to the station. We've just had a break in a big case," Fugaku hurriedly explained as Mikoto handed him his wallet and his cell phone.

"I'll save you a piece of chocolate cream pie," Sakura assured him with a smile. Fugaku took a moment to look at her and then patted her shoulder.

"You're a good kid," he responded with a brief smile before he kissed Mikoto's cheek and was out the door.

"You're looking spunky today, Sakura-chan. I heard there was somewhat of an incident this morning," Mikoto remarked as she closed the front door and put her arm around Sakura's shoulders to lead her to the kitchen. Itachi was sitting at the island counter, plucking the ends off green beans and sorting them into a big ceramic bowl. When Sakura entered, he looked up with a sheepish smile that made him look like a child being scolded. Sakura let out a big breath. She supposed she had been annoyed for long enough by now. While Mikoto headed into the pantry to grab some ingredients, Sakura walked up behind Itachi and dangled her arms loosely around his neck.

"You seem cheerful," he commented when she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.

"Sasuke-kun and I got coffee on the way here," she responded. Sasuke stuck his head in the doorway and promptly wrinkled his nose.

"I can't believe you let some guy sleep in the same bed as Sakura. I'm ashamed to call you my brother," Sasuke sighed. Sakura laughed as she stood up straight and let her hands rest on Itachi's shoulders.

"I have nothing to say in my defense. I'm sorry, Sakura," Itachi replied. Mikoto sailed into the kitchen holding a few cans of chicken stock. She set them down on the counter and then turned to wag her finger at her eldest son.

"You'll need to do more than apologize to be forgiven, son. I'd say a minimum of two foot rubs and a fancy dinner. I'm surprised you didn't kick all their butts, Sakura," Mikoto said. Sakura shrugged innocently.

"I figured leaving them to wallow in their guilt was better punishment," she replied. Beaming, Mikoto moved around the counter to squeeze Sakura in a tight hug.

"You're perfect. Marry Itachi soon so you can be my daughter," Mikoto exclaimed, making Sakura blush. Sasuke rolled his eyes as he muttered something about changing his clothes while Itachi innocently went back to preparing the green beans for cooking. Soon, the kitchen was filled with the fragrance of garlic and olive oil sizzling along in a pan along with the green beans. Sakura stood battering chicken breasts to be baked in the oven while Mikoto sat juicing and zesting oranges. Mikoto had recently found a copy of an Italian cookbook that she had immediately fallen in love with. So each Sunday, instead of the traditional Japanese foods they usually had, Sakura and Mikoto had started working their way through each of the delicious recipes. It was a fun experience, trying new flavors and figuring out which seasonings went with which food.

Just like she had promised, Sakura set aside a slice of chocolate cream pie for Fugaku before everyone could gobble down the rest. She covered the plate with plastic wrap and stowed it in the refrigerator behind a jar of mayonnaise so no one would find it and consume it before Fugaku could.

Despite the delicious food and the laughter and the warm feeling of security that Sakura always had during their Sunday night dinners, she found something felt a little off. It was a mixture of Itachi's slightly distant expressions and the way he chose to sit across from her rather than next to her. It was the way he didn't join her on the back porch as usual and instead volunteered to help his mother with the dishes. Of course, Sasuke, being Sasuke, seemed to pick up on this too and promptly joined her just so she wouldn't feel lonely. They shared a bar of chocolate while swatting at mosquitoes and staring up at the night sky.

And the silent ride home, the silent barely-there kiss goodnight.

Sakura grabbed her cell phone to call Tenten for advice. But she stared at the number for a long time and then slowly set her phone down on the dresser. And in the quiet bedroom, she changed into her pajamas, set her alarm for school and then climbed into bed. As she lay awake, staring up at the white ceiling, Sakura tried to put her finger on precisely what was bothering her so much. Just before she could drift off to sleep and just as her eyelids began to slide shut, the thought hit her full in the gut like a solid punch.

She hadn't felt this alone in a very long time.

* * *

Sakura's desperation peaked about three weeks before final exams. It had been three hellish weeks of doing everything but throwing herself into Itachi's lap and screaming, "TAKE ME!" at the top of her lungs. Her fear always outweighed her frustration though and her days always ended with a tinge of disappointment. It was the day before Itachi's birthday that she decided to give it one last goes before she took a break. Because she knew that she couldn't possibly juggle her studies and focus on seducing her boyfriend who was either that oblivious or purposely tormenting her.

Kisame had called her to work out the details to a surprise birthday dinner for Itachi. So they spent an entire day acting as if they didn't remember what the date was and left Sakura and Itachi to go home together. Halfway there, Sakura suddenly exclaimed that she had lost her phone and needed to check all the places she had been that day. So they spent an hour going back to the studio and the train station and finally to the planned restaurant where everyone sprang up and threw confetti into Itachi's hair and cheered.

Though Sakura was smiling and laughing, she felt a sharp stab of pain when Itachi started opening his presents. Kisame's giant case of energy drinks, Deidara's cologne and Sasori's silk necktie were all received with joking and a fair share of jabbing and mock-punching. When Itachi opened up the Japanese to English dictionary she had so carefully picked out for him, all she received was a polite smile and a pat to the top of her head.

Something inside her cracked. It wasn't a rejection.

It wasn't a rejection, she told herself a million times.

But she couldn't keep the smile fixed in place. She could feel it start to warp and shrivel so she quickly excused herself so she could stand in the bathroom splashing cold water on her face and force herself to grin again in the mirror. Eyeing her perfect smile, she spoke carefully and quietly to the face staring back at her.

"You're going to forget this. You're going to focus on your exams and smile and laugh until you have time to figure this out again."

Slapping her cheeks once to bring some color into them, Sakura slipped back into the restaurant. There, she easily joined in on Kisame's teasing and Deidara's antics. She giggled and blushed and made faces so naturally that her acting almost frightened her. But she had always been good at locking things away. When she had quit dancing in the 7th grade, she had looked her mother in the eyes and said that she didn't want to dance anymore. It had been a horrible, blatant lie but her mother had bought it. And now, she would pretend that nothing was wrong.

It would have been much easier had Sasori not passed by her and taken a moment to stroke her hair.

Somehow, she knew that he saw right through her.

It was disturbingly easy to give up once she put her mind to it. She stopped pestering Itachi for morning kisses. She stopped touching his hands and leaning on his shoulder when she pretended she had trouble getting her shoes on. She stopped leaving her hair wet because it just got the back of her shirt damp anyway.

"You look miserable," Sasuke told her one day as they sat in the library going over notes during study period. Sakura blinked slowly and then turned back to her book.

Sakura knew she must have looked like hell when she passed Ino in the hallway afterschool and Ino actually grabbed her by the arm to stop her. Despite the fact that they hadn't spoken properly in months, when Ino stared into her eyes, Sakura felt like she was baring her soul. And in that firm, commanding tone that Sakura sometimes resented just a little, Ino spoke.

"Spill. What's wrong?" she demanded, putting her hands on her hips. When Sakura didn't speak, Ino dragged her into an empty classroom, pushed her into a chair, and disappeared. A minute later, she stomped back into the classroom, shut the door, and thrust a carton of strawberry milk into Sakura's hands. Sucking almost viciously at the straw of her own strawberry milk, Ino settled into the chair in front of Sakura's and stared hard.

"My boyfriend doesn't find me attractive, Ino-chan," Sakura finally admitted, staring down at the pink and white carton balanced in her palm.

"Sasuke's brother?" Ino asked and Sakura nodded. Tapping her finger against on the top of the desk, Ino arched an eyebrow.

"Let me ask you something. Is he gay?" Ino demanded. When Sakura shook her head, Ino frowned.

"Is he blind?"

Sakura shook her head again, silently wondering where this line of questioning was leading. With a fierce scowl that Sakura had never seen on her friend's face before, Ino threw her hands in the air.

"Then he must be an idiot. You know, people say I date and break up with a lot of guys because I'm a slut but that's not it. It's because they all end up to be jerks who don't treat me like I'm the most beautiful thing in the universe," Ino suddenly said, pointing her finger in Sakura's face. Sakura stared at her because she didn't understand what was happening.

"Okay. Listen to me. People will tell you you're being selfish or spoiled or stupid, but this is always true: A guy should treat you like you're the most perfect and wonderful thing that has ever existed. He shouldn't make you feel like you need to become prettier or sexier. Women are already **beautiful**. You're a woman, I'm a woman. Ergo, we should feel beautiful," Ino explained, waving her hands around a little wildly as she spoke. When Ino crossed her arms over her chest, Sakura cracked a smile. She had missed Ino's straight-forward, almost abrasive words. Ino knew what she wanted and she didn't care what other people thought. That was what Sakura had always admired about her.

For some reason, Sakura looked into Ino's honest blue gaze, she felt like she could say anything and not be judged. And for some reason, because she felt so comfortable, Sakura knew that there wasn't much to say at all. Shaking her head, Sakura poked a straw through the top of the carton and took a big slurp of sweet strawberry milk. Propping her chin up in her hand, Sakura grimaced.

"I feel stupid. And I'm being stupid. I'm going to put all this crap behind me and focus on studying," Sakura groaned. To her surprise, Ino thumped her hand down on the table and nodded emphatically.

"Don't tell me all the details. Because you know my big mouth. I can't keep secrets for shit. But you're nicer than me. I would have dumped him the minute he made me feel uncomfortable," Ino laughed. With a tired sigh, Sakura looked up to see Ino holding her milk up. Sakura giggled softly as she reached out and bumped her carton against Ino's.

"Are you still mad at me, Forehead?" Ino suddenly asked. Sakura took a long time to stare down at Ino's left hand resting against the desk. Ino always had perfectly manicured nails and this week's pattern was a light shade of rosy pink with French tips. Though her fingers were smooth and slender and perfectly beautiful, Sakura recognized a thin scar running down her middle finger. Ino had gotten it when they were in kindergarten and they had climbed the big gingko tree in the Yamanaka family's backyard even after Ino's mother had warned them not to. Sakura had slipped and Ino had grabbed her, barely noticing a stray branch scratching down her hand. Ino had cried and cried, worrying about Sakura's tiny little bruise on her knee while she bled enough to have to get three stitches.

Sakura scowled.

"You know, you're a blabber-mouth, Ino-chan. And you're a pretty crappy friend sometimes," Sakura began. Ino didn't look hurt. She just nodded helplessly because she knew what Sakura was saying was all true.

"But I'm a jerk sometimes and I'm kind of petty. So I guess we might be a good match as friends," Sakura added with a grin. Reaching across the desk, Ino clasped Sakura's hand like they had done so many times as children.

"Count on it," Ino responded.

* * *

Sunday morning, Uchiha Itachi woke up to an empty apartment. He knocked on the bedroom door and waited a few moments before he tried the doorknob and found it unlocked. When he peeked inside, he found the bed perfectly made and all her clothing neatly folded and put away. There was a faint scent of her fruity body wash lingering in the bathroom and a single glass was left on the drying rack. It was only when he opened the refrigerator and found omurice* covered in saran wrap that he understood. There was a bright blue post-it note arranged on top of the plastic with a short note:

_Study group with friends today._

_I'll see you for dinner._

Sakura had gotten up earlier in the morning and gone for a run all by herself. Kisame had offered to come along with her but she had quickly declined. So at the crack of dawn, she had dressed in shorts and a tank top and taken the long route through the park, past a small lake that sparkled in the morning sun. Even when she got back to take a shower, Itachi didn't stir from his spot on the couch. So she quietly cooked up a quick breakfast for him and grabbed a banana for the road before she grabbed her backpack and headed to the park where there were metal tables and chairs set up.

Hinata was already waiting with her perfectly color-coordinated notes spread out in front of her. Sasuke and Naruto showed up a little later with damp hair and their duffel bags still slung over their shoulders. Half an hour into their study session, Ino arrived with coffee and mini-muffins.

Naruto, who had paid very little attention to any of classes throughout the semester, began panicking when he noticed Sakura's nearly full binder of notes and photocopies. Though Sasuke didn't take many notes, the ease with which he answered Hinata's questions made Naruto cringe. Sakura helped Ino run through some particularly tough physics formulas. By lunchtime, Naruto was groaning and moaning about dying of hunger, despite the fact that he had eaten almost all of the muffins Ino had brought.

"Hey, your mom cooking anything good today?" Naruto demanded, shaking Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke shoved him off and gave Sakura a pleading look.

"You should take Hinata-chan out on a nice buffet date instead," Sakura suggested. Naruto's face immediately lit up as he turned to his girlfriend. Hinata shot Sakura a slightly mortified look over Naruto's shoulder as she was pulled into a tight hug. The horror of watching Naruto at any sort of all-you-can-eat establishment was something she had apparently encountered once before. Sakura almost felt bad for putting Hinata through such an ordeal but she knew that Sasuke would most likely murder Naruto in the mood he was in. Sakura whispered Hinata a promise to make it up to her before Sasuke dragged her back to his house.

It was the second week in a row that Sakura arrived at the Uchiha home without Itachi. And it was the second time that he was already waiting for her. But instead of helping Mikoto in the kitchen, Itachi was in the living room, watching a baseball game on TV. Though Itachi smiled upon seeing her, Sakura fought down the simultaneous bubble of excitement and the wave of disappointment when all he did was simply look at her and then turn back to discussing something with Fugaku. Instead, it was Fugaku that raised his hand in fond greeting and asked her to join them. Later, Fugaku pulled her aside to inform her that they hadn't made much progress on her stalker case. The phone number they had traced had led to a cheap pre-paid phone with a number based in America. There was little to trace this man with but Fugaku swore to figure things out for her.

Slowly, Sakura began seeing less and less of Itachi until it seemed like he was less of her boyfriend and more of a stranger she saw every day. It wasn't on purpose that she found her free time beginning to be taken up by so many things at once. There were still a million things to do for the student council, including all the planning for the cultural festival and the trips that each grade would be taking to different parts of the country. There was the endless studying for midterms (which actually turned out to be fun since she had only ever studied by herself). Even during dance practice where Deidara was his usual goofy self and Kisame beat him up and Sasori kept trying to take Sakura's measurements for new clothing designs.

It wasn't so bad being mind-numbingly busy.

It made it easier for her to pretend to forget. Or not to notice just how cold Itachi had become. Even though she had promised Ino that she would be strong, even though all her friends were there to support her and help her even though most of them were unaware of what was wrong in the first place, Sakura found it immensely difficult to keep smiling when even the chaste little kisses on the cheek disappeared too. He treated her like a leper, like touching her would make the skin melt off his bones.

But then exam rankings were out. Sakura was in first place with Sasuke and Shikamaru taking second and third respectively. Ino screamed with delight and flung her arms around Sakura when she found her name right next to 15th place. Naruto did the same to Sasuke when he found himself in the bottom 50 instead of the bottom 10 (only Sasuke didn't endure this with Sakura's smile; he smacked Naruto upside the head). At least for that short afternoon, Sakura was able to be a stupid high school girl laughing and bragging and surrounding by smiling friends.

Summer break started and Sakura suddenly found her high school friends flung far away from her. Naruto and Sasuke went off to training camp while Hinata flew to the Bahamas to spend time with her family. Ino was gone to Karuizawa for a "refreshing vacation to scope out hot boys".

It took exactly 8 days into vacation for Sakura to snap. She had started to grow somewhat used to the distance between Itachi and herself. Now that midterms were over, there were university entrance exams that should have occupied all her attention. Every day should have been hectic and exciting and fun but all Sakura could see was her boyfriend's cold gaze.

On a muggy Tuesday where Sakura was already a frazzled mess from her frizzy hair and the added mess of PMS driving her up the wall, Sasori seemed to decide that it was time for him to solve everything. Kisame, strangely attuned to her as ever, had managed to quell most of her bad mood by massaging her shoulders and feet. Deidara was in the corner, rifling frantically through his bag for a bottle of painkillers.

It was at such an unfortunate time that Deidara straightened and then patted his stomach.

"Looks like I'm all out. Someone run down to the convenience store and grab a new bottle. And some food too. I'm starving, yeah," Deidara said. Kisame took a moment to look at Deidara with wide eyes that let him know that he would not risk everyone's well-being to leave his post as Sakura-soother for the day. Sasori silently shook his head, shooting wary eyes towards Sakura too. In the end, it was Itachi that got to his feet and grabbed his wallet.

"Ah, actually, why don't you take My-chan too, yeah? Grab some extra stuff she might want? Maybe some chocolate?" Deidara suggested. Sakura's eyes lit up at the prospect of chocolate. Her body was ravenous for it (along with other things such as hot baths and salty foods). She pulled her feet out of Kisame's lap and half-rolled in her hurry to sit up. Itachi barely glanced her way.

"It's fine. I'll go myself," he responded.

A single tear pricked up in the corner of Sakura's right eye that she quickly wiped away before pretending to be laughing at Kisame's remark about Itachi being the one on his period. And Sasori, with his incredible eyesight (really it was like he was a ninja in another life or something), saw. He was crouching on the balls of his feet, enjoying a cherry lollipop.

Sasori saw. He saw, he crunched straight through his candy, obliterating it into a hundred sugary chunks. In one smooth movement, he stood and then took precisely three long strides to Itachi.

"Itachi," Sasori flatly said. And Itachi reflexively turned at the sound of his name.

Sasori's right hook caught him directly in the cheek.

* * *

Cliffhanger. Not sorry at all. Whew. This is categorized as humor but I don't know. This chapter felt kind of krama-melodramatic-y to me.

*Yakiniku= Grilled meat. Generally Korean BBQ that's been modified to fit Japanese tastes.

*Omurice= I'm making myself so hungry writing all this. It's fried rice wrapped in a plain egg omelet usually topped with ketchup. This is the epitome of happy food in Asia if I do say so myself. If you make this stuff with spam or any kind of ham in the mix, it's like a party in your mouth. Not the trashy, sad kind that end up with people with heads in the toilet. The happy kind where people take good pictures and spend years saying "remember that party?" "yeah that was awesome"

Much love and thanks to you wonderful readers. Be sure to leave reviews with your reactions or any questions.


	20. Sasopunch

900+ reviews already? You guys are crazy! And awesome. So...crazy awesome?

This chapter was supposed to be up yesterday night but I had some issues with the flow of the chapter so I took an extra day to update because I love you all like that.

Thank you to everyone for your continued support (of Sasori). Hope you all enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Fancy Footwork

Chapter 20: Saso-punch

The instant after Sasori punched Itachi silly, Sakura let out a shriek. Kisame immediately threw his arms around her to shield her in case Sasori had finally cracked and decided to murder Itachi. Deidara hopped nervously around behind Sasori in case he needed to run in to save Itachi's life.

"Get up," Sasori spat in such a nasty voice that Sakura flinched. Sasori's glare was completely frigid as he watched Itachi slowly stand. Itachi cracked his jaw once and then fixed Sasori with an equally frosty stare.

"Mind explaining, senpai?" Itachi ground out. Sasori's response was to grab Itachi by the front of the shirt. He took a couple of steps and then paused.

"Kisame, you remember telling me about that new café that opened up near here? Why don't you take Sakura now?" Sasori suggested without turning around. And Sakura was somewhat glad that she wouldn't have to see such a horrific look on Sasori's face ever again. With a nervous laugh, Kisame suddenly sprang to his feet.

"What a great idea. Come on, Squirrel-chan," Kisame said a little too brightly, pulling Sakura up and half-dragging her out of the studio before anyone could say anything else. In fact, Sakura had to run to keep up with Kisame's long strides until they were far enough from the building that Sakura yanked on Kisame's arm to stop him.

"That hurts," she said in a small voice, hating that there were more tears springing up in her eyes. Even though Kisame was usually the first to panic over her tears, this time, he just put his free hand on his face and sighed.

"Sorry about that, Sakura-chan. I just wanted to get you out of there before you had to watch Sasori-senpai beating Romeo to death," Kisame explained with a smile. When Sakura's eyes widened, Kisame put his arm around her shoulders and guided her into a small building. The café that he had brought her to was air-conditioned and smelled like freshly ground coffee beans (two things that Sakura was powerless to resist). They took a seat right next to the windows and Sakura could see that they were close to Deidara and Sasori's dorm. When a waitress stopped by with a bright smile to take their orders, Kisame chose plain coffee and a cup of French onion soup. Before Sakura could pick up the menu, he listed off a few desserts along with a vanilla latte.

"So…?" Kisame prompted as the waitress walked back to the kitchen.

Just the prompt was enough to bring moisture to her eyes again. Sakura blinked rapidly, trying to will the tears away. Settling back in his chair with a deep sigh, Kisame unzipped his short-sleeved hoodie and tossed it across the table at her. It was almost funny how after just a year, she understood what that meant. Sniffling, she slipped her arms into the huge sleeves and pulled the generous hoodie over her head so nobody would recognize her when she started whimpering.

"Do you think he hates me now?" Sakura asked in a whisper. Kisame stared blankly at her.

"Eh?"

"He doesn't talk to me. He avoids me. He won't touch me. Is there something wrong with me?" Sakura demanded as tears began spilling down her cheeks. As the waitress began walking over with their drinks, Kisame pointed at Sakura and exploded with laughter. The poor waitress yelped when she set down the drinks and Kisame started slapping the table. His booming laughter would have probably driven out all the other customers in the shop had there been any. Sakura's sob was interrupted with a hiccup. She was able to hold in her irritation for about 10 seconds before she grabbed a wad of napkins and lobbed them straight at Kisame's face.

"Stop LAUGHING AT ME!" Sakura half-shouted, flinging more napkins and only making Kisame chortle harder.

"Y-you mean… you-you don't… KNOW?" Kisame roared, shaking the table from the force of his snorting. Sakura stopped flinging things at him long enough to process his words.

"Know what?" asked Sakura in response.

"Your mature Itachi-kun… Is…is…" Kisame stuttered out between gasping breaths.

"Is what?" Sakura half-snarled, reaching across the table to shake his arm.

"A VIRGIN!" Kisame hooted, banging his fists furiously on the table until the noise echoed in the café.

* * *

"You're pathetic," Sasori sighed as soon as Sakura and Kisame were out of earshot. Sasori released his grip on the back of Itachi's shirt and shoved him away. They were standing in the parking lot just in front of their dance studio. Deidara hovered a little ways off with a sour expression.

"You think today's the only day you've made Sakura cry?" the redhead demanded, taking a step toward Itachi. Itachi's eyebrows knitted together

"You think you haven't hurt her by pretending to be cool and composed?" Sasori snarled, taking another step. Itachi stood his ground, glaring at his friend who seemed to have turned inexplicably psychotic.

"Are you so dense that you can't even see when the girl you're dating is in pain? Are you a fool? Are you blind? Or are you just not in love at all?" Sasori continued his taunting. It was only then that Itachi's eyes narrowed. Clenching his jaw tight, Itachi balled his hands into fists.

"What are you talking about? Are you accusing me of hurting Sakura? On purpose?" Itachi spat back. At this, the edge of Sasori's mouth pulled up into a half-smile that became terrifying on such a normally blank face.

"No. I'm accusing you of hurting her because you're an imbecile. What did you say to her? That you'd wait? That you'd wait until she was ready?"

Itachi blanched. It was always unnerving how spot-on Sasori was with his observations but this one was particularly disturbing.

"Aw, shit. You didn't!" Deidara interrupted. He had been standing quietly until then but now Deidara crossed his arms over his chest and fixed Itachi with a condemning glare.

"I'm sorry but why would a private matter like this be of any interest to you two?" Itachi demanded. His gaze was trained on Deidara so he was caught completely off-guard when Sasori drew his fist back and punched Itachi right in the mouth.

"It matters because she's my friend and you're a shitty boyfriend," Sasori responded.

"ITACHI! My-chan comes from a broken family! She was abandoned by her father and sort of by her mother. She needs constant reaffirmation that she's wanted and that she's loved. Do you realize what pushing her away does?" Deidara spat, jumping up and down like he might explode.

"I'm not pushing her away!" Itachi snarled.

"You're not?" Sasori queried as he picked Itachi up by the front of his shirt.

"I…I'm not."

* * *

"Excuse me?" Sakura whispered.

"He's a virgin, cute little Kitty-chan. Innocent. Unblemished," Kisame chuckled in a quieter voice when he realized that Sakura had turned a frightening shade of red.

"Um… Two things. How do you know that? And why would you tell me that?" she asked in a dazed voice. Kisame scratched his head.

"What? We're best friends. Of course I know. He sort of almost had an…encounter… freshman year but that didn't really work out," Kisame revealed with a mischievous grin. When Sakura tilted her head to the side, Kisame cackled.

"Okay, so Itachi met this really hot chick at this party. They were both drunk and they ended up going back to her place. But before they managed to do anything, the girl fell asleep and Itachi, being some kind of retarded knight, tucked her into bed and went home," Kisame snorted, shaking his head. Sakura blinked very slowly.

"So your amazing adult boyfriend is just about as clueless as you when it comes to this stuff," Kisame concluded with a satisfied smile. When Sakura's stare remained unchanged, Kisame reached across the table to wave his hand in front of her face. It took a long time but Sakura's gaze finally refocused and then she let out a long, shaky breath.

"Oh…so that was it," she managed to whisper.

"So the whole avoiding thing…" Sakura asked, looking into Kisame's grin.

"Him freaking out and not knowing what the hell to do. He was the same way when we tried to get him to join our club freshman year. Sakura-chan, I think that you think that Itachi is much cooler than he really is," Kisame easily responded.

"And one other thing, little Kitty-chan." When Sakura looked at him again, Kisame flashed a mischievous smirk.

"If he's 'Itachi-kun' and Deidara's 'Dei-chan', what the hell are Sasori-senpai and I?"

Sakura stared at him.

"Um…do you really think that's the most pressing issue at this point?" she demanded. Kisame raised his eyebrows, looking horrendously offended.

"My feelings are at stake, kid," Kisame insisted. Throwing her hands into the air, Sakura startled the waitress who had stopped by with their food. She let out another startled yelp and hurried off, looking thoroughly disturbed.

"FINE! You'll be Sakkun and he'll be Saso-kun!" Sakura snarled, banging her fist on the table.

"Sakkun?" he repeated.

"Sakana-kun*," Sakura clarified with a proud smile. Kisame breathed a deep sigh before he reached across the table and tweaked her nose.

"You're smiling again," Kisame noted with a chuckle.

Sakura tried to frown at him but he speared a chunk of cheesecake on the end of his fork and stuffed it into her mouth.

A little more chatting and a lot more sugar was enough to bring a bright grin to her face. Kisame always had some sort of magical cheering-up powers. He was like Naruto but less prone to saying something that made her want to punch him. When Sakura told him this, Kisame just chortled and patted her shoulder. On their way out, Kisame picked a whole array of random cakes from the dessert display and handed them to Sakura in a small pink box.

"Eat lots of stuff you like. Be happy and stuff. You being depressed really makes everyone else depressed too," Kisame grunted. Kisame blushed when she threw her arms around him in a tight hug. Kisame walked her back to Itachi's apartment and then left saying, "I need to make sure you're not a widow."

Since her stomach was full of eclairs and croissants and roll cake, Sakura skipped dinner. She took a long shower in the hottest water she could endure before securing her hair back in a tight bun at the top of her head and changing into a pair of loose black shorts under a light yellow tank top. She sat on the sofa that Itachi usually occupied for naps and began the arduous task of working through all her summer vacation homework. But she knew she had to get it done so Naruto and Ino would have someone to call and beg for help right before the end of break. Sighing, she worked through another integral and plugged the number back into the equation to make sure it worked. She yelped when there was a loud knock on the door.

"Open up, Kitten! We've got your husband!" Kisame yelled. Shoving her books to the side, Sakura ran to the door and yanked it open.

Sakura pursed her lips, trying to decide whether she was angry at Sasori or not. Apparently all of Sasori's silence had led to quite a bit of pent-up frustrations. Itachi's face had taken quite a beating and the faint odor of alcohol rolling off the both of them wasn't helping their case. With a sigh, Sakura gestured to the kitchen table and moved to the side. With Sasori on the right and Kisame on the right, Itachi managed to half-fall into the wooden chair without tripping over his feet. Sakura put her hand on his forehead to tilt his face up toward the light. Letting out a gasp, Sakura whirled around to scowl at Sasori.

"What? I don't get a hug?" Sasori asked in his usual monotone.

"Please leave," Sakura sighed in response.

Once the apartment was quiet, Sakura moved around the kitchen wetting a clean rag in cool water. She knelt in front of Itachi's chair to get a better look at his face. His dark eyes seemed to avoid her face and instead were fixated on his hands as she carefully dabbed at his split lip. Sakura also counted one black eye, one bruised jaw, and a small scrape on his left cheek. Even though she was as gentle as possible, Itachi winced when she tried to brush the gravel out of his cuts. She flinched too.

Uchiha Itachi looked utterly pathetic. He probably knew this because he refused to meet her eyes. Sakura lightly touched the beginnings of the bruise around Itachi's left eye and he hissed between clenched teeth. Sakura sighed as she pulled a clear plastic bag out of one of the cabinets and began filling it with ice straight from the freezer. She wrapped it in a thin cloth and handed it to Itachi who promptly placed it over his eye and let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"Honestly. Going right for the eye. Are you seeing double? Is anything blurry?" Sakura asked, putting her hand on Itachi's shoulder so she could check his pupils. She didn't know much but she had spent enough time watching medical documentaries that problems with the eyes needed to be treated immediately. To her surprise, Itachi lifted his right arm and carefully brushed her left cheek with the backs of his fingers.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"I didn't think… I didn't realize… I was so worried about hurting you that I ended up messing everything up," Itachi quickly said before Sakura could interrupt. But she shook her head.

"You meant well. It's okay," Sakura assured him with a little smile. This time, it was Itachi shaking his head.

"It's not okay. I'm an idiot and I would beat myself up if Sasori-senpai hadn't already done it for me. I'm really sorry, Sakura. I put a lot of pressure on you and then I left you all alone," Itachi sighed, leaning forward to rest his forehead against her stomach. When he wrapped his arms around her, Sakura felt a familiar heat creep up the back of her neck and flood her cheeks. She had almost forgotten how easily he made her blush.

"Do you think Saso-kun beat you up so you would look pathetic and I would be more willing to forgive you?" Sakura suddenly asked. She felt Itachi nod against her abdomen and she let out a short giggle.

"Well, I think it worked. I forgive you. But I think you need to apologize to Sasuke-kun more. He's been running around trying to cheer me up this whole time," Sakura finally said. At this, Itachi lifted his head to look up at her.

"Try not to hang out with my brother too much... It makes me worry…since you used to like him," Itachi admitted in a small voice. Sakura's eyes widened when she saw a faint shade of pink filter up to his cheeks.

"I'm a real dame otoko* aren't I?" Itachi mumbled as he hid his face against her front again. Stifling a laugh, Sakura pulled his face away from her and eased the ice pack back on top of his swelling eye again.

"I think so," she responded.

"Well since I'm hopeless, all I can promise you is that I'll try to stop being stupid. We'll let things happen naturally, alright?" Itachi asked. Sakura supposed she couldn't really disagree to his plan especially since he then proceeded to pull her in for a soft kiss that turned her insides into jelly.

Treating the rest of Itachi's injuries proved to be supremely difficult when he kept interrupting her for more kisses every few moments. ("Do you have any idea how hard it was keeping my hands off you? You smell too good. Is it perfume?" "Body wash. Now please stop sabotaging my work.") Sakura wanted to scold him when he tried deepening one of their kisses and ended up almost reopening the cut in his lower lip. Instead, she ended up sighing and placing another ice pack over that too.

"Saso-kun was really mad, huh?" Sakura remarked while she hunted through the cabinets for some painkillers. She was so engrossed in reading the label and getting a glass of water that she didn't notice Itachi's free hand reaching out for her. His fingers circled her wrist, pulling her straight into his lap.

"Saso-kun?" he repeated. Flushing a little, Sakura nodded.

"Yes. Saso-kun. Now eat your medicine and go to bed, _Ikkun_," Sakura quickly said, shaking two white pills into her palm. When Itachi made no move to reach for them, rolling her eyes, Sakura shoved the painkillers into his mouth and held the glass of water up to his lips. A smile tilted at the corner of his mouth over the rim of the cup. Turning even more red, Sakura hurriedly shoved the icepack back against his lip to avoid looking at him for too long.

"Thank you, **My**-chan," Itachi mumbled, letting the icepack fall back into his lap.

She let him kiss her one last time because his cool lips actually felt kind of nice.

* * *

It took a little less than a week for it to happen.

Looking back on it, Sakura realized that it really wasn't such a huge thing. It didn't need theatrics and awkwardness and crying and punching because things really did move along by themselves.

Sasori was currently acting as if Itachi was a piece of particularly large garbage that needed to be ignored. Deidara was giving Itachi the silent treatment and being clingier to Sakura than usual (much to Itachi's irritation). Still, things were relatively normal and the return of Sakura's regular smiles seemed to take the edge off of the baka-duo's anger.

Thursday morning, Sakura woke to Itachi lightly shaking her shoulder. They had fallen asleep watching TV again and her neck was stiff from letting her head loll back against the couch the entire night. Rubbing her eyes blearily, Sakura waited for Itachi's face to come into focus. His hair was neatly combed and tied back with just his bangs falling into his face. The clean scent of mint and soap clung to him when he bent his head to kiss her temple.

"I need to go to work today so I won't make it to practice. Don't wait up for me, okay?" he half-whispered. She nodded sleepily in response to his words. A smile crossed his face before he leaned in to kiss her lightly. She could taste toothpaste on his mouth.

"Bye-bye," she mumbled before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep again to the sound of his chuckle.

Unfortunately, Kisame and Deidara banging on the door less than an hour later wasn't the best way to be woken. Grumpy and still half-asleep, Sakura went on her morning run with them and then headed to the gym for her regular work-out. She had moved on to lifting light weights to build up muscle tone and endurance. As usual, Kisame got annoyed with Deidara's nagging halfway through his work-out and tackled him to the floor. After lunch, they retreated to the studio where they were joined by Sasori straight from his part-time job. Though they were supposed to be working on their routine for the cultural festival at Sakura's school, they ended up fooling around to learn new moves and poses. Kisame, self-proclaimed king of b-boying, ended up toppling over and bruising his elbow. This seemed to be the perfect reason to end practice and go for an early dinner.

Sasori and Sakura listened to Deidara and Kisame argue for the better part of 15 minutes about where to eat before Sasori looked over at Sakura.

"What do you want to eat?" he asked.

"Um…ramen?" she replied.

"We're eating ramen, peons," Sasori announced, grabbing Deidara and Kisame on his way out. Sakura trailed behind them, laughing the whole way.

By the time Itachi got home, it was close to midnight. Though Sakura had considered just going to sleep, she found that she wasn't too tired and there was a lot of homework left to be finished. Just as she scratched out the answer to the very last calculus problem left, Sakura heard the scratch of the key in the lock. She turned her head just as Itachi opened the door and stepped inside. Their eyes met and she couldn't help the automatic smile that spread across her face.

"You're up. Aren't you tired?" Itachi asked in greeting while he toed off his shoes and shut the door. Sakura watched as he tossed his keys on the kitchen counter and headed straight for the refrigerator to pour himself some water.

"I wasn't sleepy yet. And I finally got through all the math. I hate math," Sakura laughed, proudly waving the booklet in the air. Itachi loosened his tie as he crossed the kitchen to take a look at her work. He thumbed through the pages, eyebrows rising higher and higher with each passing section.

"I don't remember half of this. I've gotten soft," he remarked. Sakura scowled.

"That just means you didn't have to study that hard in high school," she pointed out. Itachi shrugged.

"Pulling an all-nighter?" he asked, eyeing the huge stack of books sitting on the coffee table. Shaking her head, Sakura got to her feet.

"I think I'll go to bed now. It's hard enough to deal with Dei-chan's chipper attitude when I'm **not** tired," Sakura admitted. She gathered her books up into her arms and rose on her tiptoes to kiss him before she retreated to the bedroom to get ready for bed. She had already showered and her damp hair was gathered back in a loose braid that fell down the back of her neck. As she slipped into a large t-shirt, she could hear the shower running.

Half an hour later, Sakura was lying on her back in a darkened room in what might arguably be the most comfortable bed she had ever had the pleasure of occupying. However, sleep simply seemed to elude her. Nothing she did seemed to help and the maddening tick of the clock really hasn't helping her situation. With a heavy sigh, Sakura climbed down from the loft and tip-toed into the kitchen to get a drink of water.

The apartment was dark except for one of the ceiling lights directly over the kitchen table. Despite the fact that he had a fully functional office, Itachi was hunched over his laptop here. The steady tap of his fingers on the keys was something she had grown used to hearing. When she walked past, she felt Itachi's eyes on her.

"Can't sleep?" he asked without looking up. Sakura drained her cup and set it in the sink before she wandered over to look over his shoulder at his work. As usual, the dense wall of legal terminology was more than enough to perplex her. She could hear Itachi inhale deeply for a moment before his arm snaked around her waist and pulled her straight into his lap.

"You can't get any work done like this," she giggled.

"I know," he agreed with a smile. He pressed a light kiss to the inside of her elbow. Feeling a little cheated, Sakura stole a kiss from his mouth which earned a startled look from him.

"Did you really miss me that much?" he teased before kissing her again. Sakura fixed him with a pointed look.

"Don't be mean to me or I'll seriously move to Fiji with Saso-kun," she warned. Itachi's pleasant expression melted into a frown.

"Don't," he warned, prompting a fresh set of giggles from Sakura who looped her arms around the back of his neck. She rested her cheek against his shoulder as they sat that way for several minutes. Just when Itachi wondered if she had fallen asleep, Sakura spoke.

"You know…I love you," she said. Feeling suddenly shy, she hid her face against his shoulder.

"Yeah," he responded as he let his fingers skim down her damp hair. She loved the way his long fingers curled gently around the back of her neck. His voice was low and melodious in her ear.

"I love you a lot," Sakura insisted, her hands curling into the front of his shirt. Something shifted in the air. Her shyness was overpowered by something else. She wanted something desperately but she didn't quite understand what. It felt like the space between them was so far apart even though he was right there. When she looked down at Itachi, his dark eyes were watching her a little strangely. The half-smile that quirked at his mouth seemed a little different.

"Is this what we meant by naturally?" he asked.

She wasn't unsure anymore.

"I think so," she whispered in response as his arms tightened around her.

"I love you, Sakura," Itachi said as their fingers tangled together.

It was a soft and bittersweet night. The warmth of his touch and his whispers filled her and flooded her with unbearable happiness. At the same time, she felt a small part of herself mourn for what she could never have again. It was something she had to let go but so difficult anyway.

"Are you scared?" was his question when a single tear leaked out of her eye. She nodded and he cupped her cheek in his right hand with such tenderness that her chest tightened.

"Don't be," was his whispered assurance.

* * *

Haruno Sakura felt a tickle against her cheek. She sighed as she snuggled against the stuffed bunny that she always hugged to her chest while she slept. It felt oddly solid but it was so warm that she didn't really mind. Stifling a yawn, she rolled onto her back to grab for the clock on the nightstand. But her hand struggled uselessly in the sheets, never quite reaching. She let out a frustrated groan before she decided that it wouldn't kill her to miss the morning run once and curled back on her side to sleep some more. But as she nestled up in the warmth, she felt a puff of warm air on her forehead. Her tired eyes began to focus until she realized that her stuffed rabbit was gone. Instead, she saw a smooth expanse of firm chest before her. Blinking a few times to clear her gaze, Sakura slowly looked up and found Itachi's cheek pressed to his shoulder as he slept. His dark eyelashes cupped his cheeks. But before she could be surprised, he sighed deeply and the noise brought back a torrent of images and sounds. A low noise rumbled out of his throat as he threw his arm over her waist to drag her closer.

"Itachi-kun," she whispered, afraid to break the quiet. His eyebrows twitched for a moment before she watched his eyelashes lift like a rising curtain. When his stare focused on her, she was startled by how clear his brown eyes were. Then again, she realized, she had never had the chance to look at him so up close before. She watched his eyes crinkle before he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Hi," she giggled.

"Hi," he chuckled back. When her stomach let out a loud growl, Itachi laughed before letting his arm slide away.

"Give me a minute. I'll go make you breakfast," Itachi grunted even as he buried his head under a pillow. So it was Sakura that sat up instead, pulling the covers up to her chest to hide most of her body. She couldn't help but laugh at how lazy Itachi looked. Sakura glanced over her shoulder at the clock.

"It's 6. We better get ready before Dei-chan bashes the door down," Sakura groaned even as she felt Itachi's arms sneak out of the blankets to pull her against his chest. She turned a little red as she found herself staring directly at his left pectoral. When she ran her pointer finger down it, she heard his soft chuckle.

"What are you doing?" he inquired, looking down at her.

"Um…I'm not exactly sure," she replied sleepily.

"HEYYYY! LOVEBIRDS! TIME TO BE HEALTHY, YEAH!"

Exchanging a sigh, when Itachi raised an eyebrow at her, Sakura groaned and snuggled closer to his chest.

"That idiot's not going away until someone shuts him up," Itachi remarked as they listened to him enthusiastically bash at the door.

"But I want to sleep more," Sakura whimpered, making Itachi laugh.

"I do too," he agreed.

"COME ON, NEWLYWEDS! TIME TO GET A DIFFERENT TYPE OF EXERCISE!" Kisame yelled, adding to the knocking. After some complaining and efforts to drown out the noise with pillows, Itachi reluctantly rolled out of bed. Squealing, Sakura covered her eyes when she caught a glimpse of Itachi's right butt cheek. He cleared his throat, clearly a little embarrassed as he hurriedly pulled his boxers on and climbed down from the loft. Sakura listened to him dig in his dresser for a clean t-shirt before he left the bedroom. She lay in bed, covers pulled up all the way to her nose. After a moment, she heard the front door open.

"Get dressed, lazy. I bet My-chan's sleeping in too, huh? Go wake her too, man," Kisame said in a voice that was far too cheerful for so early in the morning.

"We're taking a day off. Go away," Itachi flatly grumbled. Curious to see her friend's reactions, Sakura noticed Itachi's discarded white shirt tossed onto the foot of the bed and pulled it on. She fumbled to button it enough to cover herself before she peeked over the edge of the loft to look out the open doorway. Kisame and Deidara were ready to go in their shorts and t-shirts while Sasori stood looking somewhat awake between them. Deidara jumped up and down, trying to barge inside past Itachi but only succeeded in looking like an agitated rabbit. By chance, Itachi glanced back and met Sakura's eyes. She raised her fingers in a little wave before Itachi turned back to their friends.

"Besides, I think Sakura agrees with my plan," Itachi added. The trio in the doorway followed his gesturing hand to see Sakura carefully looking down at them.

"…Please…leave," Sakura called out with a little pout. As Deidara and Kisame stood gaping, Itachi closed the door on their faces. Ignoring the enraged shouts from outside, Itachi closed the bedroom door and climbed back up to the loft where Sakura stood trying to locate her clothing which had apparently ended up tossed a little haphazardly around. Itachi turned away for a moment and then looked back at her, almost as if he were doing a double-take. His eyes roved over her bare legs and her small frame swallowed up by his large shirt. When she blinked innocently at him, confused as to why he suddenly looked like he had forgotten what he was about to say, a smile curled at Itachi's mouth that made her shiver.

"Back to bed," he announced, tossing her over his shoulder and throwing them both in a tangled heap on the mattress. Sakura squealed when she felt his warm mouth on her ankles and then her knees.

"I meant back to sleep!" Sakura half-heartedly protested. He pressed a long kiss to her thigh just below the hem of his shirt.

"We can sleep later," Itachi replied.

They spent the rest of the morning dozing peacefully now that Sasori had managed to drag the sobbing pair off for their run. It was almost too cold with the air conditioner running but in their cocoon of blankets and limbs and whispered words, it was perfectly toasty. Itachi would drift off to sleep, wake for a little, kiss her bare shoulder, and then fall back asleep again. It was perfection, serene perfection and Sakura felt safer than safe and happier than happy. When Itachi's stomach let out a pleading growl of hunger, Sakura opened her eyes.

"We should eat something," she said, peeking out the hole in their fortress of blankets to check the time. But Itachi groaned as he pulled her closer. The curve of her back nestled perfectly against his chest and Sakura was so tempted to go along with his plan.

"Aren't you hungry? Did you even have dinner last night?" she demanded, remembering how late he had gotten home the night before.

"I'd rather starve then get up. I'll just eat you-"

Sakura interrupted him when her stomach let out a wail of protest too. There was a long pause and then Itachi let out a defeated sigh.

"Food, then."

They spent their day off eating and catching up on TV shows in their pajamas. With a mischievous giggle, Sakura plopped down on the sofa next to Itachi and dropped her bare legs into his lap.

"Aren't you being a little too relaxed?" Itachi asked as she began crunching through a box of strawberry candy.

"Then would you like us to go back to being awkward?" Sakura replied with an innocent smile. Shaking his head, Itachi reached over to steal a piece of candy from her.

"Do you need to rub that in?" he inquired.

"Only a little bit, _Ikkun_," she responded with a grin.

* * *

"I AM OPPOSED TO THIS!" Deidara roared, pointing an angry finger into Itachi's chest. Sakura and Itachi stared at him blankly as they stood in the doorway of the studio. After a full weekend of brooding, Deidara had waited to ambush the happy couple on Monday morning.

"On what grounds?" Itachi demanded. Deidara spluttered as he tried to think up an answer.

"Do I need a reason, yeah?" Deidara managed to spit back.

"Logically, you really don't have any say in this, Deidara. You're not Sakura-chan's guardian, nor are you a good role model to her in any sense," Sasori piped up while peeling a lollipop and examining it in the light.

"BUT I'M MY-CHAN'S BEST FRIEND, YEAH! THAT HAS TO COUNT FOR SOMETHING!" Deidara roared triumphantly.

"Wait…who's your best friend, Sakura-chan?" Kisame inquired. It was everybody's eyes that turned to Sakura. Though she was close to all of them, at times it was difficult to figure out who Sakura liked best. Frowning, Sakura put her hands on her hips.

"Sasuke-kun," she immediately responded.

"My-chan, you dirty traitor," Deidara immediately replied.

"Maybe you would be a better friend if you stopped obsessing over my BOOBS, DEI-CHAN!" Sakura retorted a little tartly. Deidara wilted, dissolving into a pouting pile of goo.

"Still…I don't approve. As My-chan's number one fan, I don't approve," he muttered while everyone seemed to ignore him. In fact, Kisame and Sasori seemed willing to act like nothing had changed. Though Sasori did make it a point to "accidentally" shove Itachi aside and hang all over Sakura, only Deidara was the one left grunting half-audibly about all the reasons he was unhappy. At the end of the day, Deidara randomly grabbed onto the back of Itachi's shirt and stared fiercely into Itachi's expression of slight irritation.

"You better take good care of My-chan or I'll set Sasori on you again," Deidara said in a low voice that promised death.

"Give him a black eye again and I'll make sure you'll never have babies, Dei-chan," Sakura cut in with a sweet voice. She fluttered her eyelashes at him before she took Itachi's hand and they walked off together. Deidara stood staring at Sakura's retreating back.

"…What did that bastard do to my sweet little girl?" Deidara whispered. Tilting his head to the side, Kisame threw his arm over his friend's shoulder.

"I don't know but I like it," Kisame announced with a smile.

"Go die in a hole, Fishface."

"I'll tell Sakura-chan on you."

"…I'm sorry."

* * *

Summer break ended too quickly and Sakura found herself waking one morning to a sigh.

"That's for you," Itachi groaned. Sakura lifted her head a little to hear a familiar banging on the door. Whining, she pulled the covers over her head and sunk down and burrowed up against his warm side.

"My-chan! Wake up or I'm breaking in and taking pictures of you and that idiot butt-naked and sending them to a-"

Before Deidara could finish his threat, Sakura had thrown herself out of bed and was pulling on clothes.

"Stupid Dei-chan," Sakura muttered as she jumped into a pair of shorts. Itachi let out an undignified snort without opening his eyes. His dark hair was a tangled mess around his face and his left arm was curled around the extra pillow he had bought a few days ago. Now there were two identical pillows on his bed and it somehow looked just right. Sakura took a moment to kiss Itachi's cheek and he reached out to automatically pull her in for another one. Giggling, she slipped free from his grip and climbed down from their loft. She opened up the top drawer of the dresser to grab a clean pair of socks. At some point, most of her clothing had migrated from her bags to that drawer in the dresser and about a third of the closet as well.

"HURRY UP, YEAH!" Deidara wailed even louder. Sakura half-tripped on the way to the door as she struggled to get her shoes on. When she finally opened the door, she found Kisame holding Deidara in a headlock. Deidara's face slowly turned purple as he raised his hand to wave at her.

"Where's the loverboy?" Kisame asked as they headed for the elevator.

"He has a class today. And don't yell so early in the morning, Dei-chan. Tanihara-san across the hall is a light sleeper," Sakura yawned, nudging Deidara with her elbow. Her two friends raised their eyebrows at her with identical leers.

"Ooh, getting to know the neighbors, are we?" Kisame teased.

Despite their jabs, Sakura immensely enjoyed the remaining week before school started again. As she had predicted, Ino called a few days into the week to beg for help with the summer homework. With a little smile, Sakura dropped off her finished work at the Yamanaka household where Ino's mother greeted her with a big hug. She was immediately gifted with fresh fruits and some various side dishes ("Since you don't get much home-cooking, sweetheart. Enjoy!") before she made her way back to Itachi's apartment where Itachi eyed her haul and laughed with her. Naruto, however, had been guiled into actually completing his homework for once by his girlfriend and left Sakura to spend the last few days of break generally dancing, sleeping, eating and running around Konoha with her boyfriend watching movies and trying out new restaurants.

Monday morning, on the usual commute to school, Sakura felt a little tug on the edge of her sleeve. It was crowded in the subway car so it took Sakura a minute to find Sasuke's face in the crowd. It wasn't her fault since his face was half-squished behind the belly of a rather large businessman. Sakura had managed to grab onto a pole to avoid being crushed in the immense barrage of commuters. At the next stop, Sakura held out her hand and Sasuke quickly grabbed onto it. When a fresh wave of people flooded into the already crammed car, Sakura yanked him over to her pole where they stood gripping onto it for dear life until the train started moving again.

"You're looking disgustingly happy again," Sasuke quickly observed.

"I am. Thank you. Hope you had a nice break too," she easily replied. Rolling his eyes, Sasuke lightly bumped his shoulder into hers as best as he could in their crushed circumstances.

"Stupid Sakura," he muttered.

"Stupid Sasuke," was her response.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan! Morning, Ugly Sasuke-jerk!" Naruto crowed when he spotted them walking through the front gates. While he ducked Sasuke's mock-punch, Naruto grinned at Sakura before he spotted Hinata a little further ahead and hurried to catch up to her. As soon as they reached their lockers to change shoes, Sakura heard a high-pitched squeal that made Sasuke stiffen completely. His expression turned murderous as a pair of arms flung themselves around his neck.

"Did you miss me, Sasuke-kun? I missed you! Did you dream about me?" Karin gushed. When Sasuke glanced desperately in her direction, Sakura shrugged.

"You should bond with your classmates, Sasuke-kun. Nice to see you, Uzumaki-san," Sakura said with a smile.

"Oh, hi there, Kaichou. You can call me Karin-chan!" Karin brightly replied, clearly delighted to see her beloved prince. When Sakura noticed Suigetsu and Juugo approaching, she stuck her tongue out at Sasuke and quickly ran off to her classroom.

"Yo, Sasuke-man! What's up!" she heard Suigetsu call out before she heard Sasuke smash his head into his locker.

* * *

The end of August marked an exciting time for Konoha High's seniors. Due to slashed school budgets, their annual fieldtrips had been restricted to nearby areas in the country. However, it was one of the few times they were allowed to genuinely have fun at the school's expense so there wasn't anyone complaining about their 1-day trip to Kamakura, a city located not too far from Konoha.

"Break off into pairs. Boys with boys. Girls with girls," their homeroom teacher instructed. While the other students scrambled to find their friends, Sakura reached to her back right and Hinata immediately hooked her pink through Sakura's. She didn't need to know that Sai and Naruto had exchanged fist bumps over Hinata's head.

"Now, one pair of girls merge with one pair of boys," the teacher continued. Tilting her head back, Sakura looked back at her three friends sitting in a row.

"Why, Sakura-chan. Fancy joining us?" Naruto asked in a posh accent.

"Why, Lord Naruto. You do honor me," she replied, fluttering her eyelashes until Hinata giggled.

They pushed their desks together in a square and began going through all the brochures and information packet that had been handed out.

"I want to go to Engakuji*," Sai said, pointing to a point on a map of the subway he had been studying. As Hinata wrote the destination down in their itinerary, Naruto jumped out of his seat.

"Ooh! Hokokuji*! HOKOKUJI! LIKE IN SAMURAI FILMS!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing excitedly to a photo of the big bamboo forest in a pamphlet he had been casually flipping through.

"We should go to the Great Buddha statue too. I bet everyone's going there to take photos," Sakura added with a thoughtful expression.

"Do you think sensei would let us ride the Enoden*?" Hinata suddenly asked, looking up.

"Good question. Sensei!" Sakura said, leaning back in her seat and raising her hand. Sarutobi Asuma walked up to her with his usual easy smile.

"Yes, Haruno-kun?" he said, putting his hands into his pockets.

"Would we be allowed to take the Enoden as long as he checked in with one of the teachers before we left?" inquired Sakura, holding up their itinerary. Asuma studied their list for a moment and then shrugged.

"That's fine. Everyone, did you hear Haruno-kun? You're permitted to take trains as long as you inform a teacher where you're going before you depart," Asuma announced, handing their itinerary back to the group.

Two days later, the senior class was boarding a train down to Kanagawa prefecture. By some hysterical coincidence, Sasuke's class had ended up in the same car with Class 3-C. As Sakura sat between Sai and Hinata to chat with their classmates, Naruto snickered as he watched Sasuke try to pry Karin off his right arm. Sasuke had ended up in a group with Karin, Ino and Shikamaru. While Ino was occupied with bothering Shikamaru, Sasuke was stuck dealing with Karin's advances.

"You know, Haruno-chan, we always thought you and Hyuuga-chan might be stuck-up. Because you're both so smart and pretty," one of the girls in their class admitted. Sakura and Hinata exchanged bewildered glances.

"I mean Hinata-chan's super-pretty but I don't think I really am," Sakura said at the same time that Hinata spoke.

"Sakura-chan's super-smart but I don't think I really am," Hinata replied. Everyone was quiet before they all burst into laughter together. Sakura had never really had much of chance to talk too much with the other girls. She had always gotten the impression that they were avoiding her. But once they boarded the train and began talking, Sakura had found that she had been completely wrong.

"You and Hyuuga-chan and Uchiha-kun all kind of have this…unapproachable air. Like you're too cool to talk to almost," one of the girls pointed out.

"Unapproachable? Maybe Sakura-chan didn't have coffee that day," Naruto interrupted, prompting a few more giggles as Sakura pinched his nose until it turned bright red and he squeaked out an apology.

"But seriously, your clothes are both so pretty!" someone interrupted. Since it was a rare day where they got to wear their own clothes for school, Hinata had gone for a light blue dress with long sleeves over sparkling black flats along with a long silver necklace. She was classy and sweet and this had earned Naruto a fair share of elbow jabs and jokes from his male classmates who complained about wanting a cute girlfriend too. Sakura, tired of listening to Deidara complain that she never wore the clothes Sasori had given her, had chosen a short white dress with strappy sleeves with black leggings. Early September was the start of slightly cooler weather so she had thrown a cropped grey jacket on top along with a pair of bright red sneakers.

"Yeah. Hyuuga-chan's cute and Haruno-chan's kind of spunky," another girl added.

"You guys are pretty too!" Sakura argued, earning a bunch of mock-punches and laughter. Though Naruto had also been chatting with some of the guys in class, he looked over to find Sasuke shoving Karin's face away with one hand while struggling to send a text on his phone. When Sasuke looked up at the sound of Naruto's laughter, he practically launched himself across the train car to wedge himself between Hinata and Sakura.

"Please don't leave me with her again," Sasuke groaned, shaking Sakura's arm until she finally looked at him.

"I would be happy to trade spots with Sasuke," Sai suddenly piped up. Everyone turned to look at him.

"…Sai…do you realize what you're volunteering to?" Naruto asked in a shaky voice. When Sai nodded, Sasuke grabbed both of Sai's hands to shake them furiously in desperate thanks.

"Just be sure to compliment her a lot, Sai-kun," Sakura called after him as Sai walked over to join Ino who eyed him with some confusion. It took a moment for Sakura's words to sink in.

"Wait…Sakura-chan…Sai-kun's compliments are…" Hinata began.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY TO ME?" Karin screeched, jumping to her feet.

"I don't understand how you two are cousins, Naruto," Sakura sighed as she watched Karin shake a fist at Sai.

"Me neither," Naruto grunted.

"I said that your ugliness is only eclipsed by your shrill voice!" Sai enunciated carefully in a loud voice.

Everyone struggled to hide their laughter as Sai dodged one of Karin's punches.

As soon as they arrived in Kamakura, everyone broke off into their groups to follow their itineraries. Though they spent a good part of the trip following Sasuke as he ran from the sound of Karin's voice, they had time to take lots of pictures and to laugh over Naruto's silly poses for the camera. By the time they arrived at the Giant Buddha Statue, most of the other groups had gathered there as their final destination as well. After a bunch of botched photos courtesy of Naruto and Sasuke arguing, they managed to get a few good pictures. The day ended with souvenir shopping before the teachers took attendance and everyone boarded the train back up to Konoha.

Naruto and Hinata fell asleep together, their heads pressed together in the image of blissful love. A few people giggled and Kiba leaned in to take a picture for the yearbook. Sasuke and Sakura occupied their time looking through photos on Sakura's cell phone. He leaned over her shoulder to peek into her plastic bag full of souvenirs.

"Got anything for my brother?" Sasuke asked. Sakura frowned.

"None of your business, Nosey-kun," she replied, sticking her tongue out at him. Giggling at his glower, Sakura showed him a couple packages of hato sabure*.

"Are these…pigeons?" he asked, holding up one of the cookies up to the light.

"Doves sound prettier! I tried one of these at the shop and they're pretty good. I bought some for your parents too," Sakura said, pointing to the other packages in her bag. Sasuke's lips pulled down into a thoughtful frown.

"You're going to give my old man diabetes," he sighed. Sakura smiled sheepishly.

That night, Sakura sat in bed, watching Itachi crunch his way through his second hato sabure while changing into pajama pants.

"These are surprisingly satisfying," he commented, popping the rest of the food into his mouth before he climbed up to the loft.

"You think Fugaku-san will like these?" Sakura asked, wrinkling her nose. Though he claimed to like her cooking, Sakura wasn't actually sure what kind of food the Uchiha patriarch enjoyed. Itachi rolled his eyes.

"Sakura, at this point, you could make a mud pie and feed it to my father and he'd love it. I think he likes you better than he likes his own children," Itachi scoffed, climbing into bed.

"You think he's gotten any more information about that phone number?" Sakura suddenly wondered aloud. It had been a couple months and all she had learned was that her unwanted fan was from America and that he was smart enough not to use credit cards. Part of her secretly hoped that he would never be found so she could stay with Itachi forever. She had grown used to doing laundry together and eating together and even fighting over the covers a little during the night. Still, it would be nice to feel secure in her own home again.

"Ah, speaking of which. Have you talked to your mother lately?" Itachi prompted. Though Kirie had promised to be back in Japan in November, neither Itachi nor Sakura had decided how to explain their living situation to her yet. Sakura hadn't even had the chance to tell her that they were dating. Last week, when she had talked to her mom, Sakura had spent a large part of the time listening about all the delicious bakeries in New York City.

"Mom, I have some news. It's really important to me so I would appreciate it if you would listen-" Sakura began, only to be cut off by the sound of high-pitched ringing.

"Oh, sweetie, that's my work phone. It's a big client. Tell you what, you can tell me all about your big news when I get home, okay? Love you!" Kirie quickly said before hanging up.

"Yes. But all I managed to hear was that Magnolia Bakery isn't nearly as good as everyone claims," Sakura huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. Pouting a little, Sakura scooted over to use Itachi's left arm as a pillow.

"I'm sure you'll have time to speak with her soon. We still have almost two months. Everything will work out," Itachi assured her before he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"You promise?" she asked in a tiny voice.

"I promise."

* * *

I dub this chapter the unintentional tourist guide chapter. If anyone gets a chance to visit Japan, go to Kamakura! I've had friends go and send me pictures and it's seriously really beautiful.

Sakana*= Fish. Very creative. So Sakura's essentially calling him Fish-kun from now on.

Dame otoko* is a phrase that basically means 'useless man' or 'no-good man'.

Engakuji* is in the northern part of Kamakura. It's one of the Zen Temples in Kamakura meant to commemorate fallen soldiers founded in 1282.

Houkokuji* is also known as the Bamboo Temple. It has a bamboo garden in the back which is a popular tourist destination. Because who doesn't love some bamboo, right?

Enoden* is short for the Enoshima Electric Railway. It connects Kamakura to Kanagawa Prefecture. It's sort of like a tram that takes passengers through a really beautiful scenic route.

Hato sabure*= dove/pigeon biscuits. They're a popular souvenir in Kamakura. They're less of a cookie and more like a shortbread though and they're flipping delicious.

Extra love to all of you reviewers for all your love and input. Please be sure to leave your feedback in reviews this chapter too!


	21. Papa san

Little note before you start reading, there's a certain part in the story where I have an asterisk. Instead of waiting until the end to read my little explanation, I strongly recommend that you go to youtube and search for 'trouble maker hyuna' and click the first link. Listening to the actual song will make everything a lot easier to understand. If not, you'll just be slightly confused but I guess that's a personal choice.

We're currently remodeling the kitchen so I haven't had a decent cup of coffee in about a week. Therefore, I apologize in advance for all the delay and nonsense and kerfuffle.

Enjoy!

* * *

Fancy Footwork

Chapter 21: Papa-san

"Somehow… Sakura-chan…" Hinata began during lunch. Naruto looked up as he gulped down a mouthful of fluffy white rice and chased it with a piece of shrimp tempura. Sitting across from them was Sakura trying to fight off Sasuke's chopsticks as he tried to steal her last cherry tomato. When Sasuke looked up at Hinata's comment, Sakura seized the opportunity to snatch up the fruit and shove it into her mouth.

"I think you've gotten really pretty lately," Hinata finally managed to say. To Sasuke's right sat Sai and to Sakura's left sat Ino. They both swiveled their heads to scrutinize Sakura's face as she calmly chewed and swallowed her food. Irritated by Sai's chin on his shoulder, Sasuke jolted him off and then examined Sakura himself.

"If you're talking about the haircut, I just had Dei-chan trim it a little," Sakura responded with a shrug. Sasuke grimaced.

"You let that psycho near you with scissors? Not the best decision," Sasuke remarked, flinching when Sakura poked his cheek with the top of her chopstick. Hinata sat regarding this exchange and then her pearly eyes widened. Squeaking in that way that she only did when she was supremely excited, Hinata flapped her hand in Ino's direction. The boys sat absolutely baffled as they watched Ino sputter around her mouthful of bread and begin pointing wildly at Sakura. When Ino managed to choke her food down, she alternated between staring excitedly between Hinata and Sakura.

"They sound like hamsters. What did you do to them?" Sai asked. Sakura pretended not to know either and went back to calmly eating.

Afterschool, however, was an entirely different story.

"Kaichou, the teachers asked that we have all the classes choose their projects for the cultural festival tomorrow during homeroom," Udon said, holding out a notice to Sakura. She spun around in her chair once as she skimmed the list before she nodded and gave it back to him.

"We'll photocopy this and distribute it tomorrow morning. We don't have much work to do today so you two can go home after you make copies," Sakura ordered, watching Moegi and Udon's eyes light up with excitement.

"HARUNO SAKURA! SPEAK TO US!" a voice boomed as the door to the student council office was slammed open. In stomped Ino followed by Hinata who was bright pink from exhilaration.

"You- right? I mean, your face- and- oh my gosh- YOU!" Hinata squeaked, rushing forward to grab Sakura's hands.

"You two might want to leave. This is serious girl business," Ino suddenly said to Moegi and Udon still standing frozen in the middle of the room. They hustled around grabbing their things before they quickly disappeared.

"Wow. Yamanaka-senpai's pretty," they heard Udon whisper to Moegi as they rushed out. Ino couldn't hide the little smile that appeared on her face before Sakura caught it.

"Vain as ever, Ino-chan," Sakura sighed. Ino pouted.

"But it's true. I am kind of pretty," Ino argued.

"Anyway, Sakura-chan, what happened?" Hinata demanded, diverting their attention back to the topic at hand.

"Um…it just sort of…happened?" Sakura said a little lamely, rubbing the back of her neck. Ino leered. She didn't know the entire story but she was smart enough to catch on.

"I bet you've been at it like rabbits-"

"INO-CHAN!" Hinata gasped.

"WE HAVE NOT!" Sakura practically yelled, trying her best not to laugh as Ino tickled her sides.

* * *

"We have not," Sakura grumbled as she sat up. Glancing around the bedroom, she found that Itachi's cell phone and jacket were still sitting at the foot of the bed where he had tossed them earlier. As the air conditioner kicked itself on, Sakura shivered. She grabbed his shirt and pulled her arms through the cool sleeves. The whisper of smooth cotton over her body felt nice and the scent of his cologne and soap still clung to the fabric.

"We haven't what?" Itachi asked as he entered the room, running his damp fingers through his dark hair. He flicked the light switch, dousing the round fixture hanging above the loft. The little light always left on in the kitchen reached him just enough to make his silhouette clear. He wiped his hands on the towel hung over the doorknob before he climbed up to the loft. Sulking a little, Sakura shook her head.

"Nothing. Just something stupid Ino-chan said," she grumbled, rolling onto her stomach with a little huff.

"Why? What did she say now?" he inquired further with a slight scoff. Itachi made it no secret that he liked Ino the least out of all her friends but she supposed he tolerated her because Sakura had forgiven her. As Sakura rolled her eyes, she listened to him check his phone with a series of beeps before he climbed into bed.

"Ugh. She was being gross and saying that we were probably….you know… preoccupied all the time?" Sakura sighed, feeling herself flush just as she tried to find a better way to word it.

"It's not like I told them or anything! Hinata just sort of guessed and then Ino caught on!" Sakura babbled on, suddenly wondering if it was weird that her girlfriends knew so much. It didn't seem to bother Itachi who crossed his arms behind his head and stretched out comfortably on the mattress.

"Well… Ino-san's not incorrect," Itachi mused.

"Hey!" Sakura exclaimed, bolting upright.

"What are you getting embarrassed for?" he chuckled. Sakura thought for a moment.

"Huh. I don't know," she admitted, suddenly a lot less irritated. With a little shrug, she lay back down and nudged at Itachi's side.

"Did you have a good day at school today?" inquired Itachi as he put his right arm around her shoulders and pulled her in. She rested her cheek on his bare chest, loving the way he was always perfectly warm.

"It was busy. We still have to get everything ready for the cultural festival. What about you?" Sakura interrupted herself with a wide yawn that made tears spring up in her eyes.

"Annoying. I had lecture with Deidara and Kisame. Sometimes I wish I could get rid of them…" Itachi sighed. Humming sympathetically, Sakura giggled softly.

"You know…Sakkun once told me that Dei-chan wet the bed when he was 10," Sakura remarked as she began drifting off to sleep.

"What?" Itachi laughed. It rumbled deep in his chest, tickling her with the vibrations. Too comfortable to speak again, Sakura just let out a deep breath and let herself drift off in a peaceful sleep.

The next month passed in a wild scramble of supervising the school as every class was busy preparing for the cultural festival. Class 3-C had decided to take on a strange task that had left most of the advising teachers scratching their heads.

"Isn't that dance crew coming back this year? Can we sell refreshments and photos by the auditorium?" one of the girls in class had suggested during their brainstorming sessions. Hinata exchanged panicked glances with Naruto but Sakura had remained silent during the discussion. In the end, that was what had been decided upon so when Sakura dropped by her class to check on things, she caught glimpses of colorful posters and banners being made.

As student council president, Sakura's main duty was supposed to be overseeing the entire festival and helping to resolve any problems that might arise. Since the principal had insisted, Sakura had disclosed her role to the rest of the student council (the rest being Moegi and Udon since Shino was about as helpful as a pair of lead shoes on a sinking ship) so they could help cover her absence for most of the festival. After days of late-night construction for the students and late-night rehearsals for Sakura, the end of October arrived and suddenly Konoha High was a flood of bright pamphlets, students in costumes, and people flooding in from all over the city.

Early in the morning, Sakura lay on the floor of the studio at Konoha U. Unlike last year, she was not filled with nervous jitters. Instead, she grumbled and scowled when Kisame pulled her into a sitting position and shoved an ice coffee into her hand to shut her up.

"You know, when I first met you, I thought you were adorable. Now I can see that you're the devil, kiddo," Kisame remarked. Sakura calmly retorted by dousing her right hand with condensation from the side of her cup and shoving her cold fingers down the back of his shirt. Kisame let out a very unmanly shriek and jumped to his feet. Deidara cackled at the sight, slapping his thighs until Kisame tripped over Deidara and sprawled across his lap.

"WHAT THE HELL, AQUAMAN! WE'VE GONE OVER THIS! I'M NOT INTO YOU LIKE THAT, YEAH!" Deidara howled, trying to shove Kisame off of him.

"You know, you're actually very pleasant once you have caffeine in you," Sasori quietly observed as he walked over to Sakura and crouched beside her. They clicked plastic cups of coffee together and watched as Kisame and Deidara began kicking at each other.

"Come on, you monkeys. Time to go," Itachi sighed, finally growing bored of the spectacle. He grabbed Kisame and Deidara by the backs of their shirts and dragged them across the floor. They loaded all their things into the back of Kisame's beat-up van and drove to the high school where the front was already filled with students setting up their takoyaki stand and the welcome booth a freshman class had decided place by the entrance. Sakura directed Kisame toward the back where they had parked last year. However, someone had failed to leave the doors to the auditorium unlocked like she had requested and Sakura knocked her forehead against the window once in frustration.

"I'll have to go inside and ask one of the teachers. Wait a minute," Sakura said, sliding the door open and hopping out of the van. But Kisame was already yanking his keys out of the ignition while everyone else was grabbing things to follow her. Sakura sighed. She grabbed the cap off of Deidara's hand and jammed it on top of her head. She had already tied her hair back in a ponytail for practicality so pulling her hood on managed to cover most of her. Kisame chortled as he tugged at one of the cat ears on top of her head and she stuck her tongue out in response. They hadn't brought much in the first place. After some finagling with the drama club, Sakura had managed to get amplifiers and lights set up. All they really had was Deidara's mp3 player, some extra clothes, and a cooler filled with ice and water bottles that Kisame ended up carrying despite all his protest.

"What? Afraid someone will recognize you, yeah?" Deidara teased as Sakura checked her hood again before she led them around to the school's front entrance. Already she could feel curious eyes following them. They were rather eye-catching. Tall Kisame with his blue hair, Sasori with his ear piercings, and Itachi and Deidara for being plain good-looking were only some of the things she could blame.

"Yes. Because then they'll come running to me with all their problems and we'll never get to the auditorium," Sakura hissed.

"Well don't worry. You hardly look like a girl," Kisame whispered back. It took an extra moment for his words to register before Deidara looked outraged.

"My-chan is BEAUTIFUL, YOU ASS!" Deidara shouted, drawing many more stares as he flung his arms around Sakura while Sasori smacked Kisame in the back of the head with his backpack. Stuffing her hands into the front pocket of her hoodie, Sakura slipped free from Deidara and began walking down the stone path leading inside the school. She could hear some chatter from people as she passed and this wasn't helped by Deidara winking at every girl he saw but they managed to make it up to the staff room without anybody screaming her name in recognition. Tilting the cap back to reveal her face, Sakura squeezed her head into the room to greet the teachers.

"Ah, Sarutobi-sensei. Could I have the key to the auditorium please?" she asked as she recognized her homeroom teacher. With his usual smile, he tossed her the key and made her promise not to lose it before sending her on her way. Yanking the cap down, Sakura hurried into the hall to find Deidara sitting on Kisame's shoulders. When Sakura stared at them, Deidara shrugged.

"My legs hurt," Deidara explained.

"Ugh," Sakura sighed as she strode past him. Itachi chuckled as he followed her. Sasori paused to kick Kisame in the back of the knees to send him sprawling before he ran after Sakura too, ignoring his friends' curses and shouts echoing after him.

By the time they managed to get into the auditorium and set things up, it was just around 9 am. Sakura checked the main doors to the auditorium and found that her classmates had already set up their table complete with a refreshment table selling various snacks and drinks while the one next to it was set up with a large poster that had a picture of each member along with his name. Only Sakura's square had a giant question mark for both her face and name. Luckily, Naruto was among some of the students manning the tables. When he spotted her peeking out from behind the door, he ran over to her with a broad grin.

"Excited?" he asked.

"Exhausted. You guys ready?" Sakura whispered so no one would recognize her voice.

"Yup. The program said you would be starting at 10 though," Naruto said, pointing to one of the many flyers posted around the school.

"I know. But we think you should open the doors now so people can come watch us practice if they want," explained Sasori as his head popped up right above Sakura's. Naruto waved in greeting.

"Good idea. And break a leg!" Naruto said just as they heard raucous laughter from inside.

"HEY! MY-CHAN! LOOK! I'M STANDING ON FISHY'S SHOULDERS!" Deidara hollered.

"I'm going to break **both** their legs for extra luck," Sasori remarked before he disappeared back into the auditorium. Naruto laughed nervously.

"He's joking, right?" he demanded. Sakura shrugged.

"Who knows? See you later," she replied, leaving a rather stunned Naruto gaping at the closing door.

Surprisingly, when the doors were propped open, people began trickling in rather quickly. Though they were just running through basic popping exercises and working on the last few sets they were most worried about, the crowd cheered and whistled. Well, the whistling was mostly directed at Sakura. She was still wearing the sweatshirt with the sleeves rolled up but she had shed her sweatpants for the shorts underneath. Every time there was a catcall or a shout, Deidara jumped up looking livid but Sasori always dragged him back by his ponytail with a tired sigh.

And at precisely 10 am, Kisame did a backflip off the stage and greeted the audience with a big grin.

This year's set relied heavily on powerful choreography. Manliness exuded from every stomp and pop and slide until the girls in the audience were reduced to shrieking messes all screaming "kyah!". But after three songs, Sakura was sweating like a pig and she could see Deidara waggling his eyebrows at her, silently urging her on. As the song ended and they moved around to get into their new positions, Sakura threw her hands up in the air.

"I give up! It's too hot for secrecy!" she groaned, ripping the cap off and throwing it straight at Deidara's face. A gasp rose in the crowd as she shed her sweatshirt and ran her fingers through her messy pink bangs.

"Kaichou!" someone shouted from the audience and the name seemed to travel through the people. In just a loose white t-shirt that slipped off her left shoulder and bright red shorts, Sakura ignored the shocked looks and went on with the next few dances. Though there was clapping from people who obviously weren't from the high school and didn't recognize her, Sakura caught more than a couple faces frozen with shock. Groaning, she watched the guys filter off the stage to let her do her few solo selections. She had kept her choices a secret from her friends so they all seemed as lost as the audience did.

"Dei-chan, play the first song," she called out before she turned on her heel and crossed her arms behind her back. At the principal's request, she had chosen a cute song with bubbly sounds. Big arm movements, wide-eyed smiles and lots of winking were the perfect things for sweetness almost to the point of going overboard. At the end of the song, Sakura could pick out the older men in the audience drooling over her and she made a mental note to have Kisame glare at them or something. Taking a deep breath and waiting for the applause to die down, she had a sudden idea. Sakura glanced back at the sea of expectant faces one more time before she met Itachi's eyes and did something incredibly impulsive.

Sakura crooked her pointer finger at him in a 'come hither' motion and then let the corner of her mouth lift into a smile. (A group of her classmates screamed their approval but she didn't notice.) Itachi seemed to understand. He paused to whisper something to Deidara fiddling with his mp3 player before he hoisted himself onto the stage and approached her.

"Is this you being brave or you being irritated?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He moved to stand in front of her, back to the audience while she put one hand on his right shoulder.

"A little of both," she responded before the music started*. There was whistling to start off the beginning along with classy snaps that Itachi mimed. As the funky bass and synth kicked in, they broke apart in sinuous, synchronized motions. His hands skimmed over her waist and hips, never quite touching but never quite hovering far enough for it to be completely innocent. She let a smirk touch her mouth when he skimmed his lips just past hers in a whisper of a kiss. A shriek rose from the female members of the audience. Her fingers ghosted over his shoulders and the side of his jaw and she caught a sidelong glance from him that made her flush. No matter how much they practiced, she could never get over just how sexy he looked sometimes. It was almost unfair. She was glad that exertion had already tinted her cheeks slightly pink or he would definitely have caught her reaction and bragged about it later.

She took a few steps away from him and moved her hips from side to side, earning a swell of cheering men's voices. Sakura took a moment to wink at one of the louder fans and he and his friends promptly began yelling and punching at each other in their excitement.

As the song drew to a close, quieting into the original snapping and whistling that had started it off, Sakura let Itachi pull her in and rest his hand just above her rear while her fingers tangled in the end of his ponytail, earning a fresh roar of what was either ovation or protest. When the song finally ended, everyone broke into furious clapping and screaming. Someone even threw a flower onto the stage that he had clearly picked up from class 2-A's origami stand. Curling her fingers over Itachi's shoulder, Sakura glanced over at Kisame and made a slicing motion across her neck.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen! That's the end of our program! Be sure to come back at 2 pm if you enjoyed our performance! Drinks and snacks are on sale outside!" Kisame suddenly announced into the microphone, earning several groans of protest. When they saw that the seats were beginning to empty, Sakura and Itachi exchanged wide-eyed looks and then she burst into laughter.

"That was so embarrassing!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Embarrassed? You? I thought you were going to eat me up," Itachi scoffed. Sakura withdrew arms to put her fists on her hips.

"You make it sound like I was molesting you or something," she protested.

"Oh no. I enjoyed it," Itachi corrected her.

"What have you done?" Deidara barked, jumping onto the stage like an angry frog.

"Me?" Sakura asked, bewildered as she pointed at herself.

"What has he done to you, My-chan?" Deidara sobbed, falling to his knees and grabbing Sakura's hands. Sakura stared at him as he sucked in a shaky breath.

"MAMA AND PAPA DON'T APPROVE!" Deidara suddenly shouted, shaking Sakura back and forth as he began sniveling. Sakura's eyes darted from Sasori who just shrugged to Kisame who also looked to be on the verge of tears.

"My innocent little baby… He's right. Papa doesn't approve. I really don't approve," Kisame sniffed, dabbing at his eyes. Deidara suddenly whirled around.

"Wait. Why are you the papa? I'm the papa of course, yeah," Deidara snapped. Kisame snorted loudly.

"You? With your flowing golden hair and delicate physique? Sure," Kisame scoffed. Growling, Deidara looked ready to jump at him before Sasori intervened with a stack of flyers he had rolled up in his hands and used to smack some sense into the both of them.

"In short, our little girl has grown up splendidly. Now shut up or I will render you both biologically incapable of being either parent," Sasori interjected in a serene voice. Deidara and Kisame exchanged horrified glances before they threw their arms about each other and hurriedly scuttled away from Sasori. Since they were all sweaty and tired and hungry, they took turns changing into clean clothes before they ventured outside to see what food they could find. Unfortunately, their new fans seemed to have anticipated this plan and were waiting just past the doors to ambush them.

"KYAH! ONII-CHAN! SIGN MY FLYER!"

"SIGN MY ARM!"

"CAN I GET A PHOTO WITH YOU!?"

Just like last year, there was a screaming mass of girls crowding around. Not wanting to suffer another nosebleed, Sakura quickly ducked the flailing arms, intent on making an escape. However, Itachi caught her wrist and managed to drag them both to safety to watch their three friends being ripped to shreds.

"Ah, Sakura-san. I greatly enjoyed your performance today," Sai called out from behind one of the booths. Sakura had barely noticed him in all the chaos. A wicked idea hit her and she called him over.

"Thanks, Sai-kun. Can you do me a favor and go tell all those girls over there how pretty they are? I think they'd really appreciate the compliments," Sakura requested, pointing to the chaos unfolding further down the hall. Sai looked puzzled, but being the polite person he was, quickly agreed and made his way over.

"What would that accomplish?" Itachi asked, only to be shushed. They watched as Sai strode over, said something, and was promptly battered with various flyers and shoes and other things. The girls ran after him shouting angrily, leaving Deidara, Kisame and Sasori looking very traumatized but somehow alive.

"What'd he say to them?" inquired Sakura.

"Something about them all being like banshees," Kisame groaned, rubbing at his temples.

"Good old Sai," Sakura sighed happily. She helped dust them off and straighten their clothing before they headed off to the third floor where the senior classrooms were. Since the most rabid fans were busy being offended by Sai, their trip was mostly uneventful. And Sasori in his tight black jeans, black combat boots and glinting ear piercings was always a handy weapon for deterring the more weak-hearted. Kisame, hungry and harassed, was in a bad enough mood to be scowling as he towered over everyone else. Deidara, still fuming over Itachi and Sakura's risqué performance, was also sulking and glowering at everything. With the trio of terror ahead of them, Itachi and Sakura casually strolled along behind them, Sakura pointing out different rooms and chatting happily. As she spoke, Itachi reached over and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"Whoa, look at you two all lovey-dovey. Are you trying to make fun of us sad, single men?" Kisame pretended to sob.

"Yes," Itachi promptly retorted. Ignoring Kisame's mumbled complaints, Sakura pulled out a checklist of all the activities taking place during the day. As she ran her finger down the words, she felt Itachi leaning over to read over her shoulder.

"Sasuke-kun's class is doing some kind of dessert café. We should stop there before we go get some takoyaki for Sakkun," Sakura announced. Kisame's complaints were abruptly cut off at the prospect of food. From behind, there were loud footsteps and then a panicked voice.

"Kaichou!" Sakura hated that her head automatically turned. She vaguely recognized a freshman running up to her.

"Um, that was a really great performance. You're really beautiful!" he blurted out as he turned bright red. Then he suddenly turned and ran away, leaving Sakura blinking slowly.

"Watch out, Itachi. Your wife's going to be stolen away at this rate," Sasori remarked, pulling a lollipop out of his back pocket. Puzzled, Deidara leaned over to check Sasori's backside.

"Wait. Your jeans are ridiculously tight. How did you fit candy back there, yeah?" Deidara queried. Sasori raised his eyebrows.

"Just because your relationship with Kisame is on the rocks doesn't mean I'm interested in your advances, Deidara," Sasori promptly said. Turning scarlet, Deidara sputtered and settled for half-hiding behind Sakura's elbow for the rest of the walk.

"Stupid Sasori. I like My-chan's butt better anyway," he grunted. Sakura pretended not to hear but Itachi did because he put his arm around her, hand splaying possessively across her back. When they reached Class 3-B, Sakura slid the door open and was met with several surprised faces. Most surprised seemed to be Karin who was half-hanging off Sasuke's arm.

"Hey. You finished already?" Sasuke greeted her, pushing Karin aside to approach. Sakura pulled down her hood to before she scowled at him.

"Of course. I thought you were going to watch. Where were you?" she pouted just a little. Sasuke reached out to flick her nose.

"I had to switch shifts with the baka brothers," Sasuke sighed in response. At this, Deidara looked over at Sasori. Sasori looked back at him in what Sakura could only assume was his confused look as well.

"With us?" Deidara demanded. One look at the grimace on Sasuke's face made things clear.

"No. The other baka brothers. Come on. We should sit down and stop bothering Sasuke-kun," Sakura said, pushing Deidara and Kisame off to one of the bigger tables. Sasori had mysteriously disappeared but that was a normal thing.

"Looking pretty handsome, Baby Sasu-chan," she teased a little. As Sasuke rolled his eyes at her, Sakura reached out to straighten his collar and tie. The waiter uniform seemed to suit him oddly well and the love-struck looks girls were shooting him seemed to agree.

"Wait. Kaichou. Are the rumors true?" Karin suddenly interrupted, jumping out of nowhere to latch herself onto Sasuke's arm again.

"What rumors? And get off, Karin," Sasuke growled, shaking his arm. But Karin seemed undaunted.

"That you're dating both Sasuke-kun and your handsome college boyfriend," Karin explained. Sasuke's nostrils flared when Sakura bit her lip to hide her smile. But her laugh sneaked out when she looked over at Itachi and saw his stunned expression. Nudging Sasuke with her elbow, she began giggling.

"Hear that, Sasuke-kun? I'm two-timing you with a mystery lover. Are you crushed?" Sakura teased, poking him again.

"Don't laugh, Kaichou! If that's true, I don't think you're being fair to Sasuke-kun!" Karin suddenly yelled. Sakura froze, her mouth hanging open. Two angry blotches of red appeared on Karin's cheeks.

"Sasuke-kun isn't just a gorgeous face! If you have the privilege of dating him you should respect him and treat him well!" she shouted, poking her finger into Sakura's sternum hard. Something in Sasuke's face shifted from absolute and utter disgust to mild confusion. He eyed Karin carefully while Sakura puffed out her cheeks.

"Listen. I was joking. Of course I'm not dating this surly guy-"

"Hey," Sasuke interrupted with a frown. Karin's face grew blotchy as the red quickly receded. Her gaze darted from Sasuke to Sakura before she bowed her head.

"Oh…I'm sorry. I just…" Karin meekly said. Sakura put her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Don't apologize for liking someone. I think it's pretty cool that you're willing to stick up for the person you like even if he is kind of a cold fish," Sakura responded warmly.

"Hey!" Sasuke protested again only to be ignored yet again. Karin slunk away, her eyes flitting guiltily to Sakura every once in a while. Sasuke looked thoughtful as he led Sakura and Itachi to the table where their friends were sitting. Sasori had his chin propped up in his hand as he sipped at a fizzy soda while Kisame and Deidara were devouring slices of cake.

"That was a moving performance, My-chan, yeah," Deidara managed to say around a mouthful of food.

"Yes. You should start a series on how to deal with crazy stalker girls without dying," Sasori added. Sakura settled in the wooden chair and then glanced back at Karin.

"I don't know. I don't think she's that bad. She's open and honest," Sakura muttered mostly to herself.

"Just shut up and order something to eat so you can leave already," Sasuke sighed, hitting her over the head with the paper menu. Itachi responded by jabbing his elbow into Sasuke's gut.

"Oh yeah. By the way. Some guy was around looking for you. He just asked where your classroom was and disappeared," Sasuke suddenly informed her.

"Did he say what his name was?" Itachi demanded. Sasuke shook his head.

"It was right when I was working so I didn't even get a good look at his face. Sorry," Sasuke replied.

"ENOUGH TALK! EAT, YOU PEONS!" Kisame demanded, smacking his palm down on the table. Laughing as she watched Deidara choke on a mouthful of half-chewed food, Sakura picked something randomly off the menu and sent Sasuke off to do his job. After they had eaten, Deidara and Kisame teased Sasuke for a minute before Sakura dragged them outside to buy fresh takoyaki. The octopus battered and fried into round shapes was crispy and salty and sweet all at once. Kisame voiced his approval by eating an entire tray by himself before buying two more.

"It looks like there are a lot of interesting activities going on. So your class is the only one capitalizing on all our hard work?" Sasori asked as they walked past the different rooms bustling with different attractions. One class had thought to do a haunted house. It was apparently successful because a pair of girls ran into the hall screaming.

"I take offense to that," Sakura sniffed. With her hands in the front pocket of her sleeveless hoodie, she spun around on her heel to look up at Sasori.

"Don't be mean, Saso-kun. Everyone's working hard today," she scolded, scrunching up her nose. There was a long pause and then Sasori's molars cracked through his lollipop. Expression unchanging, he reached out to her with both hands.

"Oh look at the time. We'd better hurry," Itachi interrupted. Mirroring his disturbed expression, Sakura quickly grabbed his offered hand and practically bolted down the hall while Deidara and Kisame each grabbed one of Sasori's outstretched arms.

By the time Itachi and Sakura reached the auditorium, they were laughing at the sheer oddity of their friends.

"I wonder if Saso-kun ended up killing those two for bothering him," Sakura giggled.

"Maybe it's for the best," Itachi muttered just a little bitterly.

"Excuse me, young man. Do you know where I could find Haruno Sakura?"

"Ah, Kaichou? She went off for lunch a while ago. Oh, there she is! Oi! Kaichou! This dude's looking for you," one of the boys in her class said, suddenly waving his arms around when he spotted her. But Sakura didn't see him. She barely even heard him. Her fingers suddenly squeezed Itachi's so tightly that it must have hurt a lot. Tears welled up in her eyes as the man turned around to look at her.

"Sakura-chan."

"…no," she whispered, taking a step away from him.

"Sakura-chan."

"Stay away from me," Sakura snapped, her voice cracking.

Deidara and Kisame came running down the hallway with bright smiles. Just a few steps behind was Sasori who managed to look bored and absolutely furious all at once. They skidded to a halt at the scene before them.

"My-chan, what's wrong, yeah?" Deidara asked as he tried to give his usual smile. But his gaze traveled from Sakura's horrified expression to the man hovering awkwardly in front of her a few times before his eyes narrowed.

"….Papa-san?" Deidara ventured.

"Holy shit. That's Sakura's dad," Kisame hissed through clenched teeth.

Sasori took a few steps forward and Kisame and Deidara immediately panicked. Sure, him punching Itachi a little in the parking lot was fine but assaulting an adult in public with so many witnesses probably wouldn't go over so well. Their worries were unnecessary, however. Sasori stared the man straight in the face before he shook his head.

"You are an awful human being and you should leave now," Sasori declared rather calmly.

"Listen here, you-"

"Kyah. Someone please help. This perverted old man just asked me to do nasty things with him. And he's been taking pictures of girls' underwear all day!" Sasori suddenly announced. Passing strangers froze as they all turned to look where Sasori was pointing. The man blanched, stammering furiously as he tried to deny the claims.

"Sakura? Sakura? Oh! There you are! Why haven't you been answering my calls?"

A word left Sakura's mouth that had never left it before.

"Fuck."

Sakura turned to see her mother running down the hallway toward her, waving with a radiant smile.

"Fuck," she said one more time before she released Itachi's hand and strode off, straight past Kirie.

"Wait. Honey. Where are you going?" Kirie called after her daughter. Windswept and just a little frazzled (like always), Kirie looked around at the stunned faces.

"Itachi-kun. I didn't know you'd be here!" she greeted brightly before she followed his line of sight to the man still trying to deny everything as Sasori continued on to claim that he was now a well-known sexual predator escaped from prison. Kirie's light green eyes grew huge while her mouth popped open in a soft 'o'.

"Hello, Kirie."

"…Hello… Ryuu."

* * *

Itachi ended the debacle by calling the police. More precisely, he called his father who drove over in his squad car and quietly escorted Sakura's parents down to the station. After some searching, Sasori and Kisame found Sakura curled up in the cramped space underneath a flight of stairs. They pulled her to her feet, dusted off her clothes, and then they went off to have one of the best performances the school had ever seen. Her feet glided and turned and spun perfectly while her mouth was pulled up into her most confident smile. They laughed and sweated so much that no one would have guessed that as soon as the audience was gone, Sakura crouched down and began sobbing like a child.

Nobody blamed her though. They mostly left her alone as they quickly packed up their things.

"Let's go home," Itachi murmured in her ear. Nodding mutely, she let him lift her into his arms and carry her out to Kisame's van where she sat curled up in the worn leather seat for the ride back to the studio. After a big hug from Kisame, a kiss on the forehead from Deidara, and Sasori's entire stash of lollipops, Itachi crouched down in front of Sakura on the sidewalk. She stared at him blankly until he let out a deep sigh and glanced at her over his shoulder.

"Piggyback?" he finally said.

Sniffling softly, she climbed onto his back and let her carry her home. He didn't try to say anything. It was just his steady footsteps and the smell of autumn that followed them home.

Home.

That was the word that came to mind when Itachi stepped into the apartment and set her on her feet. She took a shower first and then him. By the time he was clean and changed into his regular pajamas, Itachi found Sakura already sitting in bed, her fingers twisting at the sheets until he put his hand over hers to stop her.

"I guess there's no point in asking how your day was," he said.

"Yeah."

"We almost had a good day," he offered.

"Yeah."

"Are you going to school tomorrow?" he asked.

There was a long pause this time. The lights were off and her face was a mystery to them both as she searched for an answer. Sounding surprised, Sakura replied, "Yeah" yet again. She pressed her cheek to her shoulder as she slept. Itachi's arm over her waist was a heavy but reassuring weight.

"Kaichou! You were really pretty yesterday!"

"Great performance, Haruno!"

"Kaichou, can you teach me how to dance like that?'

Sakura smiled, politely answering the compliments and then moving on. Sasuke stuck to her side like some overbearing bodyguard, shooing away the more eager fans who weren't quick enough to understand his glare the first time around. And surprisingly, it was also Sai that flanked her other side. He didn't seem to quite understand why. But when she asked, Sai just shrugged.

"You seem unhappy. And I assume you wouldn't want to deal with irritating people when you're unhappy," Sai replied. Sakura really smiled as she reached over and lightly punched him in the arm.

What was most interesting was Ino's open anger. She was furious. She was beyond fury and that was almost funny to Sakura. Ino had been her best friend when her parents had divorced. So only Ino knew about how she had cried a little and sometimes felt jealous when she saw the Yamanaka family all eating dinner together at one table. It was loud because Ino and her dad squabbled a lot but also very warm and fun.

"I'm mad at the teachers too! What the hell are they thinking letting that creep in here!" Ino suddenly exploded during the middle of lunch. No one was surprised. She had spent the past two days sporadically bursting into loud rants about whatever else was infuriating her. Hinata was just as mad, if not angrier. The sight of tiny little Hinata scowling and nodding vehemently as Ino continued to complain was just as adorable as it was frightening. Though her friends didn't exactly understand everything, their anger on her behalf was sweet and somewhat comforting.

November started just three days later.

November 1st, a cool and windy morning, someone rang the doorbell. Because Itachi was busy and Sakura was getting dressed, it was Deidara that answered the door. In retrospect, it probably would have been wiser to send Kisame who was wearing pants and relatively able to function without coffee in the morning. Instead, it was Deidara, bleary-eyed and grumpy and wearing just his boxers to open the door.

"What, yeah?" he demanded, scratching at the light scattering of stubble on his chin. The silence that met him forced him to actually open his eyes.

"Ah, it's My-chan. My-chan, what are you doing out there? I thought you were taking a shower, yeah," Deidara mumbled, rubbing his hands roughly across his face. He blinked a couple times before he looked at her again.

"Wait…you're not My-chan. What the hell?" he muttered, blinking a few more times. His eyes popped wide open when he realized that the woman standing in front of him was definitely not Sakura. She was about the same height as Sakura and had short pink hair but she was wearing a grey pant suit and black high heels- clothing clearly not to Sakura's tastes. Face twisting into a grimace, he realized that it was in fact Sakura's mother staring at him. The corner of her right eye twitched.

"Um…Mama-san… Hello…yeah…" Deidara trailed off with an uncomfortable laugh. Kirie's gaze traveled over his barely-clothed form with visible horror. Still, clearing her throat, she put on her best attempt at a polite smile.

"Is this where Uchiha Itachi lives?" she asked.

"Deidara, why are you answering the door naked? Come eat some breakfast," Kisame yelled, stomping over.

Haruno Kirie was now staring at two bare-chested men. The only difference was that Kisame was about half a foot taller than Deidara, had wet hair, and was very muscular. Kisame froze mid-step when he noticed her.

"…Uh…hi," Kisame lamely said before he muttered some excuse and hurried off to go put on a shirt.

"Dei-chan, what are you doing there? Come on. There's coffee."

Deidara blanched as he heard her bare feet moving across the floor. Sakura smiled brilliantly as she put her hands on his right shoulder and hoisted herself up to see who was at the door. It was almost comical to see her eyes widen before she immediately ducked down behind him.

"What should we do, My-chan?" he whispered over his shoulder.

"Tell her to go away and then you stop being naked," Sakura hissed back, pinching at his side. Before Deidara could react, Itachi walked over, the picture of calm in his light blue apron and wielding a spatula in his right hand.

"What are you two conspiring about over here?" Itachi asked half-jokingly. Sakura mutely let her eyes drift toward the door before she grimaced. Deidara seemed to have frozen up in all his panicking.

So Itachi, as the only sane and functioning human being left inside the apartment, bowed to Haruno Kirie and invited her inside. Sasori, who had been washing his hands in the bathroom, walked in on Itachi offering coffee to their guest. Sasori's gold eyes drifted lazily from Itachi, to Kirie, to Sakura silently fuming in the doorway, and back to Kirie. Slowly, the right corner of his mouth pulled down into a frown. Deidara's eyes widened.

Facial expressions on Sasori were never a good sign. Flapping his hands urgently into Kisame's face, Deidara drew Kisame's attention to this pressing matter. Kisame responded by running into the kitchen, grabbing the carton of milk in Itachi's hand, and dumping it out into the sink. Laughing in a high-pitched, completely unconvincing manner, Kisame put his hands on Sakura's shoulders.

"Oh, look at that, Sakura-chan. We're all out of milk. I guess you and Sasori-senpai need to go buy some more," Kisame babbled, already beginning to push her toward the door.

"And I should go to make sure Sasori doesn't murder any innocent pedestrians, yeah," Deidara muttered, hooking his arm through Sasori's. When the three left the apartment, it grew oddly quiet. Kirie looked around the kitchen, hands curling around her hot mug of coffee.

"So…all of you live here together?" Kirie asked slowly.

"Just me. Sakura's been feeling a little down lately so those three invited themselves over for a slumber party," Itachi sighed as he sat down across from her with his own coffee. Kirie's eyebrows knitted together.

"Four men having a slumber party with one girl?"

Kisame piped up from his place by the living room window.

"If it's any comfort, Mama-san, Sakura-chan's like a baby sister to Deidara and me, Sasori-senpai would never touch her, and Itachi looks shady but he's a really good guy," he informed her. Itachi's eyes narrowed at the implication in his friend's statement. But Kisame didn't seem to care as he turned back to the window.

Outside, Sakura stomped onto the sidewalk with Sasori and Deidara following after. Kisame couldn't hear her, but she turned suddenly and yelled something. Jumping up and down, she gestured wildly up toward the apartment and then back at herself. Laughing, Deidara slung his arm over her shoulder and began leading her in the direction of the nearest convenience store. Sasori tramped after them, his hands in his back pockets as he silently sulked too.

"Looks like our little kitten's unhappy," Kisame sighed as he turned away from the window. Mouth stretching in a grin that showed off too many teeth, Kisame sat down on the armrest of the sofa.

"And I'm not so happy when Sakura-chan's not happy," he finished with a chuckle. Itachi, who had been stirring his coffee with a spoon, picked up that spoon and flung it, hitting Kisame in the left cheek.

"Please ignore this idiot, Haruno-san. I'm sure you've been very worried," Itachi smoothly said, ignoring Kisame's growl. Kirie's mouth puckered into a frown as she stared at Itachi. The way her eyebrows drew downwards was startlingly similar to the way Sakura's face sometimes looked. Then, she let her red lips settle back into a grim line.

"I spoke to your parents yesterday. Apparently Sakura's been living here for quite some time," Kirie began with a tight smile. Kisame bit the inside of his cheek. He made his way to the kitchen, choosing to lean against the counter instead of sitting down.

"Due to some safety concerns, she has," Itachi agreed.

"A high school girl living with a grown man?" she suddenly jabbed. At this, Itachi let a smirk grace his lips.

"If I'm not mistaken, Sakura sought your advice about this issue not once but three times. But each time, she told me that you promised to talk later and hung up. So your ignorance about this matter can't be attributed to me," Itachi stabbed right back with his words. Kirie blanched, her fingers suddenly curling tightly around the cup.

"And if it's any comfort, Sakura isn't just some girl that I've allowed under my roof. I'm dating her very seriously," Itachi added. One blow right after the first. Kirie went very still for a moment. Kisame cleared his throat rather loudly, suddenly becoming engrossed in fumbling around the kitchen while looking for a cup. Tapping her nail against the tabletop, Kirie sighed.

"You're not even asking for my permission. How cruel," she finally sulked a little. Itachi shrugged.

"Not to be rude, Haruno-san, but you're the one who left Sakura to make her decisions all on her own. I do, however, want you to at least be aware of what's going on," he said. Twisting her mouth into a pout, Kirie glanced over at Kisame.

"You said Sakura's like a sister to you?" she asked. Kisame nodded vigorously. With another sigh, Kirie motioned to the chair next to Itachi. Eyes wary, Kisame obliged and took a seat.

"I hadn't planned to let her find out this way. And now she's never going to forgive me." Kirie said suddenly looking much older.

"Uh… cheer up, Mama-san. I don't think she's **that **mad. I mean, she hasn't yelled at you," Kisame ventured.

"That girl…ever since she was little… When she was really angry, she would never actually yell. She would just refuse to talk," Kirie recalled with eyes far away.

"Even if she's upset, I'm sure she'll forgive you at some point. She's your daughter," Itachi said.

* * *

"No way am I forgiving her. Are you insane, Dei-chan?" Sakura scoffed. Over her shoulder, Sasori crossed his arms over his chest and nodded solemnly. People pushing their shopping carts gave them odd looks as Deidara crouched down and grasped Sakura's left hand. He sighed heavily, running his fingers through his hair.

"Come on. Are you really that pissed, yeah?" Deidara demanded. Sakura glowered.

"I thought my father was dead. I thought I was being stalked by a psychopath. Why ever would I be upset?" she ground out between her teeth. Deidara groaned, pressing his forehead to the back of her hand.

"Besides…"

Her voice came out much softer. Sasori and Deidara exchanged looks.

"I always thought that even if I didn't have a dad, even if I was alone, at least my mom loved me. At least she was someone I could trust," Sakura muttered mostly to herself. Blinking quickly, Sakura tried to put the scowl back on her face. But Deidara was staring up at her with big blue eyes that were shining brightly with unshed moisture

"Wait, Dei-chan, are you crying?" she asked. Shaking his head furiously, he pressed his face to her hand before he started sniffling.

"Don't worry, My-chan. We love you lots so don't be sad or lonely or anything, okay? Because even if Sasori's a freak and Kisame's a pig and Itachi's a social retard and I'm sort of a jackass, we all love you the most in the world, yeah," Deidara said in a watery voice before he actually burst into tears.

So Sakura stood in the middle of the supermarket. There was a fully grown man holding onto her hand and crying on the floor while another had both his arms draped over his shoulders as he leisurely enjoyed a sample of rice cake he had picked up from a nearby display.

"Mommy, that big brother's crying," a little boy yelled out, tugging at the bottom of his mother's skirt.

"Don't look, Kota. That's a strange person," she whispered, ushering him away. Acutely aware of all the stares they were drawing, Sakura pulled at Deidara's wrists.

"I got it, Dei-chan. But you can't be sitting here. Let's go get some bakudan*. That's your favorite, right?" Sakura said, trying to pull him to his feet. But Deidara only started to cry harder. Wiping his tears against his shoulder, he peered up at her through wet eyelashes.

"My-chan, you're such a good girl. Don't forget that, yeah. You're the best person I know. Right, Sasori?" Deidara choked out between hiccupping noises. With his nose running and eyes bright red, Deidara looked earnestly at Sasori still draped comfortably over Sakura's shoulders. Sasori just rolled his eyes.

"Look who's talking. Moron," Sasori muttered as he finally released Sakura and took the shopping basket from Sakura's right hand and took off. Stifling a giggle, Sakura crouched down so she was eye level with Deidara. She pressed her elbow against her thigh, using her hand to prop her chin up as she smiled at him.

"Somehow… this feels kind of backwards, doesn't it? I remember last time it was me crying all over you," Sakura commented. Deidara's breathing finally started to even out a little. Rubbing his eyes furiously with his palm, Deidara sniffed.

"Stupid My-chan. You're the one that's all backwards. Sobbing for idiots like me but not being able to cry for yourself when you're hurt," he grumbled in a scratchy voice. This time, she didn't try to suppress the laugh that welled up from her the pit of her stomach. What had she ever done to deserve a good friend like Deidara? A friend that would cry because he was sad that she was sad.

"Come on, Dei-chan. I think you're scaring the general public," Sakura finally said, taking Deidara's other hand, not minding that it was damp and sticky now. With a huff, she stood and then pulled him up too.

"Saso-kun's right. You're kind of clumsy," she commented as she dug into her purse for a moment. When she found a tissue, she lifted it to his face to dab at his cheeks.

"My nose too," Deidara said in a small voice. Sighing, she helped him blow his nose and then tossed the used tissue in a nearby trashcan. Probably just realizing how irrational his outburst seemed, Deidara's eyes darted around and then returned to her. With a brilliant smile, she linked her arm through his.

"You know, you're probably the best person I know, Dei-chan," she remarked as they began heading in the direction Sasori had run off to.

"Liar," he muttered even as he smiled just a little. She stopped, jerking him to a halt too. Leaning in towards him, she grinned.

"Don't tell the others but you're probably my real best friend. Okay?" she whispered. Deidara pursed his lips as he tried to decide whether or not she was being serious. Finally, he knocked his forehead against hers before he scowled.

"You're a jerk, My-chan," he declared before they began walking again.

"You're a jerk too, Dei-chan. But you're my favorite jerk," she responded in a light voice. Laughter bubbled out of her mouth when he knocked his hip against hers.

They located Sasori in the candy aisle (of course). Without looking up, Sasori offered the sunglasses that had been sitting on top of his head. Glaring, Deidara snatched them up and put them on to hide his puffy eyes. After they managed to convince Sasori that buying 10 jumbo bags of candy (even if it was discount prices) was rather unreasonable, they chased him around the store as he began eating his way through every sample offered that day. Although they had stopped by for some milk, by the time they had made to the register, their basket also had three bags of lollipops, one package of mochi ice cream, a package of frozen bakudan for Deidara, and a gallon of strawberry ice cream that Sakura raised her eyebrow at but let the cashier scan anyway. Pushing her face away with his hand, Deidara managed to pull his credit card out before Sakura had a chance to get her wallet.

"Let's go before Kisame has a heart attack," Sasori said. He slung his arm over Sakura only for Deidara to thrust the plastic bag at him. Grinning, Deidara grabbed Sakura's hand and swung it merrily between them.

"Your hands are freezing," Deidara remarked.

The end of autumn was always bitterly cold in Konoha. Something about the combination of wind and the perpetual rain always managed to chill even the most warmly-dressed person. At Kisame's insistence, she had worn a scarf along with her jacket but the wind was just strong even to make her shiver. Deidara's hand was warm though and the sunlight was just strong enough to bring a little relief her chilled cheeks.

"So…you're not going to speak with your mother?" Sasori suddenly asked. Sakura knew without looking that Deidara was definitely glaring daggers in his direction. But she didn't mind. Sasori's utter disregard for subtlety and grace was always nice. He never lied to her to spare her feelings.

"Not yet. I'm still too mad and hurt. Besides, there's someone she needs to talk to first before she tries to talk to me," Sakura slowly said as Itachi's apartment building came into view a few blocks away.

* * *

"That girl, ever since I got divorced…she's tried so hard to be perfect. Perfect grades, perfect behavior. Do you think I stole her childhood from her?"

"Yes," Kisame promptly said.

"She said she quit dance because she wanted to focus more on her studies so she wouldn't worry you," Itachi added. Kirie's fingers twisted into her hair.

"She hates me now. I have only one daughter in all this universe and she hates me," Kirie groaned as she let her forehead hit the table. Kisame had to stifle a laugh at how much she acted like her daughter.

"Well… for the time being, I don't think she'll be too eager to chat with you, Haruno-san. Here," Itachi said. Kirie looked up to see him slide a piece of paper across the table toward her. In slender, loopy handwriting, there was a phone number.

"Your number?" she asked. He nodded once.

"At least you'll know what's going on in your daughter's life even if she doesn't tell you herself." Folding the blue scrap of paper in half, she tucked it into the pocket of her jacket.

"Thank you," Kirie said.

"We're back! And we have bakudan, yeah!" Deidara yelled as he shoved the front door open. Sakura and Sasori trailed after him with matching expressions of disapproval. Sakura's gaze drifted to her mom and she quickly looked away.

"Sakura-"

"No. I'm not talking to you. Not until you figure this all out," Sakura quickly cut her mother off. Kirie's lips pulled into a puzzled pout.

"I refuse to tell you anything until you work things out with him. I'm mad but he's the one that was killed off," Sakura clarified after a moment. Before things could get too tense, Itachi suddenly stood.

"I'll walk you out, Haruno-san," Itachi offered. Kirie scrambled to gather her things before she got to her feet too.

"It was nice to meet you, Mama-san. Take care," Kisame called after her as she stepped into her high heels and was out the door. Itachi paused in the doorway to observe Sakura who wrinkled her nose at him.

"I'll be fine," she assured him, giving him a gentle push.

When Itachi left too, Sakura turned to look at Kisame who just waved at her.

" 'Mama-san'?" she repeated with a grimace. Flashing a grin, Kisame took a sip of his mostly cooled coffee.

"Well she's certainly not your Papa-san, kiddo," Kisame said, quirking his eyebrow at her.

"Stop talking, Kisame. You're so not funny, yeah," Deidara groaned. Kisame turned around to give Deidara the middle finger and Deidara stuck his tongue out at him. But Kisame suddenly froze.

"Deidara…were you CRYING?"

"NO! SHUT UP, YEAH!" he shouted, shoving the sunglasses back on his face.

"YOU **WERE** CRYING!"

"Like a small child. It was a little pathetic, really," Sasori butted in without remorse.

"Why'd you cry, little Dei-chan? Did a mean boy put gum in your hair?" Kisame mocked, miming sucking his thumb.

Sakura took a step back when she saw Deidara's hand twitch.

When Itachi came back upstairs a few minutes later, Kisame was sitting on the coffee table with an umbrella wielded in his right hand like a sabre and Deidara was crouched on the arm of the sofa holding a chair over his head. Stopping between Sakura and Sasori, Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"Do I even want to know what prompted this?" he queried.

Sakura and Sasori shook their heads together.

* * *

Bakudan*= Bakudan is a boiled egg covered in surimi. Surimi is basically oden or fish cakes that are super-popular in Japan.

Wow thanks to everyone for reading and giving me your wonderful feedback and support. As we near the 1k review mark, I'm feeling giddy and offering a oneshot as a prize to the 1000th reviewer. However, I'm going to ask that this reviewer actually be signed in so I can contact him/her to ask for details. If the 1000th reviewer is an anon, I will be moving on to the next logged-in reviewer to be fair.

Be sure to leave me your comments!


	22. Wish

And the conclusion of Sakura's family problems that everyone has been waiting for. I am so exhausted as I typed this that it may or may not even be in English. Big thanks to my friend Starbucks for keeping me from ripping all my hair out and flipping tables.

Enjoy!

* * *

Fancy Footwork

Chapter 22: Wish

"Are you free this Saturday?"

Sakura raised her eyebrows as she handed the wet dish to Itachi on her left. They stood, shoulders touching as they cleaned up after dinner. Mikoto had protested, as always, but Sakura had shooed her out of the kitchen to go relax in the living room. Mikoto had spent the entire day worrying over her, trying to distract her with various things. The Uchiha matriarch was too kind to bring it up but she knew Fugaku had told her about what had happened the week before at school.

"Saturday? Yeah," Sakura finally said. They hadn't been able to go on a date in quite some time because of all the chaos with the cultural festival. In fact, their trips to the supermarket and running other errands excluded, they hadn't had much time spent just between the two of them.

"Alright. Then keep Saturday open for me," Itachi requested with a smile.

Nodding, Sakura tucked the promise away in the back of her mind. She thought nothing more of it until Saturday morning she walked into a café. Itachi held the door as usual so she turned to ask him where he wanted to sit and found a guilty smile stretching his mouth.

"Sorry. This is for your own good," he said.

"Wha-"

"Sakura-chan."

She stiffened. Face twisting in a grimace, she glared up at Itachi. Her hands fisted at her sides for a long moment before she let out a heavy sigh.

"I hate you," she muttered even as he bent over to press a light kiss to her mouth.

"I'll be at the bookstore across the street," Itachi said before he left. Sakura took a deep breath. Sucking in as much calming oxygen as she could through her nostrils, she turned on her heel and easily found her father sitting at one of the tables.

Black hair dotted with some flecks of white was neatly combed back. Soft brown eyes, so light that they were almost amber, watched her carefully. When she pulled a chair back to sit across from him, a few wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes in a smile. There was a faint layer of stubble on his chin and upper lip. The collar of his grey shirt was wrinkled and his blue tie was crooked as if he had been nervously tugging at his collar for quite some time.

"What can I get you, miss?" the waiter asked as she unwound her scarf. Cheeks flushed from the cold, Sakura scanned the menu as she ran her fingers through her wind-tousled hair. After a moment, she looked up at the waiter with a small smile.

"I'll have some Earl Grey tea and a blueberry muffin, please," she said. The waiter took the menu and quickly left, leaving Sakura in an awkward silence. Eyes avoiding the man sitting across from her, Sakura unbuttoned her red pea coat and let it slip off her shoulders and over the back of the chair. He cleared his throat, clearly at a loss for words too. Neither of them spoke until the waiter returned with a mug and a plate with a small pastry.

"Thank you," said Sakura. To her surprise, the young waiter flushed and then was off.

"Looks like you're a natural charmer," Ryuu finally said.

"Just like you," Sakura replied with a tight smile. She finally looked him in the eyes, unsure of what she was expecting to find there. As she watched, he raised his left hand to rub at his chin.

"You're married," she flatly remarked when she saw the silver band on his fourth finger. Grinning sheepishly, he dragged his knuckles along the top of the table with a small nod.

"You threw me away," Sakura suddenly began. At this, all traces of Ryuu's smile vanished. He almost looked wounded as he looked up at her. When he reached across the table for her hand, her fingers clenched. Letting his hand fall harmlessly at his side, Ryu shook his head.

"It was part of the divorce terms. Your mother demanded that I have no contact with you until you turned 16," he explained. Sakura felt a frown tug at her mouth. That did sound like something her mom would do. Impulsive and brash in light of her anger at being betrayed. And with the soft, vulnerable expression on this man's face, she was inclined to believe him. But some things just didn't add up.

"And you just let her? Why didn't you fight back?" Sakura inquired.

"I…How could I say no? After how much I hurt her?"

Sakura broke off a piece of her piece of her muffin and stuffed it into her mouth so she wouldn't have to reply. Silence fell over them again but this time it wasn't bitter or suspicious. Sakura thought hard as she took a sip of tea.

"Why contact me now? Why after all these years?" She remembered being much less comfortable financially when her parents had still been together. It was only after Kirie started working at a consulting firm that their situation had improved. Maybe he was after their money. In which case she would be sure to tell him just where he could shove his pleas. Instead, he reached into his wallet and took out something that he slid across the table to her.

It was a photo.

A photo of him and a woman with long gold hair that fell into soft waves to frame her face. Her sky blue eyes were sparkling as she smiled at the camera. A little boy with dark curls sat between them. His grin revealed a missing tooth and the same little dimple in his cheek that her father had. Sakura's stare drifted to the soft swell of the woman's stomach and she bit the inside of her cheek.

"That's my wife and this is our son, Yuki," Ryuu said softly. Not speaking, Sakura handed the photo back to him and quickly took another sip of tea.

"Was this that lady at the hotel?"

Ryuu looked like she had just punched him in the stomach.

"Y-you remember that?" he asked in a low voice. Sakura folded her arms over her chest.

"The Shizuka Hotel. Room 654. It was a Tuesday," she recited the facts that had forever burned themselves into her brain. She waited as he put his head in his hands. Then, after a long pause, he began speaking.

"Amanda and I met during my first year at culinary school. She was studying abroad in Japan for a semester. We had a relationship but then she broke it off when she went back to America. I met your mother a year later and I was very happy with her. But then, years after, when I was already married and you were already born, she contacted me. She told me she was in Japan for a conference. That she wanted to see me."

"She was your first love," Sakura commented. He nodded without lifting his head.

"We started meeting in secret. I told myself it was just until Amanda went back and then everything would be over. But she kept asking me to come to America with her. She begged me," he sighed.

"Why not divorce mom first? That would've been better than deceiving her in the first place," Sakura demanded, interrupting him. But Ryuu rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands.

"Sakura-chan, I never stopped loving you or your mom. I never wanted to leave you. I didn't want to hurt either of you," Ryuu insisted, suddenly looking up at her. Her eyebrows knitted together as she stared into his desperate gaze. Taking in a deep breath, she opened her mouth.

"So mom found out and she divorced you and you went to America with Amanda-san," she surmised. Ryuu shook his head.

"I broke things off with Amanda too. She was too forceful and she had just destroyed my family. I moved to New York and I met Jennifer." As she listened, Sakura took the photo back and examined it more closely this time. She didn't have clear memories of the woman she had seen with her father for that short instant before her mother had managed to close the door. But the harder she thought, the more she was sure that the other woman had had brown hair. It couldn't be the smiling woman in this photograph. She was very beautiful with big eyes and a small face, almost like a doll. And she looked so completely happy, like there was nothing in the entire world she would ever want. She didn't look like someone capable of trying to tear a man from his wife and child.

"So you're feeling guilty now that you're a dad again?" she asked in a soft voice, closing her eyes.

"I was always guilty, Sakura-chan. I still am. There's no amount of repenting and pleading I could do that would be enough for you to forgive me. But that's not why," Ryuu said. Opening her eyes, Sakura glanced up at him. His hands were twisted together tightly on top of the table.

"Jennifer and I are going to have a second child. A daughter," he finally choked out. Sakura felt her throat close in on itself. Their second child. Their second child as a family. There was no place where she fit in. It was like she had never been born in the first place.

"…I never told her that I already had a daughter."

His words hovered in the air between them. For a moment, Sakura could hear her heart thudding in her ears, a dull, empty noise.

"And?" she prompted.

"She… Jennifer was furious. She told me that there was no excuse for abandoning my daughter like that. She said that I should have fought to be able to see you. She said I was terrible for just giving up. And she told me that I needed to sort things out with you before our daughter was born," Ryuu quickly said, words stringing along into each other in his haste to convey everything at once. Suddenly, an ugly stab of jealousy twisted her gut.

"Why? So you can finally get rid of me for good and you can live your cozy life together?" she snapped. She immediately regretted such harsh words. Ryuu looked at her like she had just given him a million papercuts and then poured salt water all over him. But he was somehow still smiling.

"No. Um… Jennifer wants… she wants to meet you. She says that it's not fair that you've been excluded as a member of our family for all this time."

Sakura didn't know what to say. This woman was so utterly kind, almost to the point of idiocy. And Sakura felt so ugly and petty for hating such kindness. If she had been some evil woman, it would have been simple to push her away. Why did she have to be so nice?

"How old… is your son?" Sakura suddenly asked.

"He's turning 7 this autumn," Ryuu promptly said. And Sakura knew that if she asked him right then when her birthday was, he would be able to answer without hesitation. She took a moment to mull things over.

"You know, Jennifer told Yuki about you. He told me that if I didn't make up with you, he would never forgive me," Ryuu admitted. Shaking his head, he chuckled. As she thought, her gaze drifted down to her mostly-empty cup of tea. Mashing a large crumb underneath her thumb, Sakura pursed her lips.

"I'm not really mad at you," Sakura finally admitted after a while, "I should be. But I'm not." The look of immense relief that spread across his face spoke instead of his silence. Scratching her fingernail across the tabletop, Sakura glanced around the café one more time before she focused on her father.

"But I said the same thing to mom last week. I'm not speaking to either of you until you talk to each other," she firmly said.

"Talk about what?" Ryuu asked. Clenching her hand into a fist, she shrugged.

"That's for you two to figure out."

There was another silence. Sakura pretended to examine her nails for a long time before she looked up again.

"Are…are you happy?" queried Sakura with some difficulty. She watched the puzzled frown on her father's face slowly shift to a shy smile.

"I am," he said. With a heavy sigh, Sakura stood, letting her chair scrape along the floor as she shrugged her coat on. She could feel his frantic brown eyes following her as she buttoned up the front and then picked up her handbag.

"Talk to mom first, okay? And stop calling me every other day like some crazy stalker," she muttered, not meeting his gaze. Ryuu made a noise between a wheeze and a chuckle.

"Sorry. I was just really impatient to get in touch with you. I won't call you anymore," Ryuu said, bending over in such a low bow that his forehead touched the table. As she counted out bills to pay for her food, Sakura's gaze traveled back over to Ryuu still hunched over.

"That's not what I meant. You can still call me… just not so often," she amended after some hesitation.

"Bye…Dad," Sakura softly said before she hurried outside. When she glanced over her shoulder, she could see him sitting with a ridiculous grin on his face. Their eyes met and he waved so enthusiastically that she felt a laugh slip out.

Like he had promised, Itachi was sitting in the bookstore across the street. It didn't take much hunting. He was skimming through a historical novel when she caught sight of his broad shoulders. Placing her hands on his forearm, she leaned over to see what he was reading. The book snapped shut and he stared at her with an expression filled with curiosity. His question was clear.

_How did it go?_

"Not perfect. But good," she simply told him with a light-hearted shrug.

Luckily for them, the store was mostly deserted as Sakura leaned against his side and let just a few tears leak out. Whether they were from relief at finally seeing her father or sadness from seeing his new family was something neither of them understood. But that didn't seem to really matter as Itachi pressed a kiss to her temple and she let out a shaky breath.

* * *

The first snow in Konoha that year was marked by a slight tinge of sadness.

"You okay, My-chan? You're looking kind of down, yeah," Deidara observed, leaning over to press his forehead to hers. Sakura looked up at him, feeling a smile forming automatically. Deidara, for all his clumsiness and perversion, was such a mother hen. They looked over at Kisame and Sasori bent over the stereo together. It had been working fine one minute and then suddenly started spouting static. When Kisame smacked his hand down on the electronic, Sasori responded by smacking his head down on top of Kisame's head.

"You'll break it more," Sasori sighed before he turned back to the instruction manual. Itachi was lying in the corner with his textbook lying flat over his face. He had another exam in a few days and he seemed to have lost all understanding of the concept of sleep. If Sakura hadn't been living with him, he would probably never remember to eat. Deidara stared down at her, lips pulling into a little pout.

"Still no word from either of your parents, huh?" Deidara finally guessed. Sucking her lower lip into her mouth, she slowly nodded. It had been nearly two weeks since she had spoken to her father. Of course she wasn't really surprised since, from what she had gathered, he was a very flustered man and her mother was apparently not a very forgiving person when it came to romance.

"At this rate, I'll die of old age before they ever speak to each other again," complained Sakura, knocking the side of her head against the window. Maybe it had been unrealistic and somewhat childish to expect her demand to magically fix everything. But Deidara ruffled her hair with a grin that helped reassure her even if it was just a little bit.

"Don't worry too much, My-chan. If things take too long, just bring Sasori with you and he'll beat the crap out of both of them until things work out, yeah," he said with one of his brilliant smiles. The very image of Sasori expressionlessly bashing his fist into her father's head made a laugh spurt out of her. She and Deidara burst into giggles that left them lying on the floor with aching abdominal muscles.

"What are you two weirdoes cackling about?" Kisame demanded, walking over to loom above them.

"Sakura's papa potentially being bludgeoned to death by Sasori's fist of unholy rage," Deidara promptly replied.

Itachi woke from his nap to Kisame and Deidara howling with laughter on the floor while Sakura sat up to watch them, her hand clamped tightly over her mouth to hold in her mirth too. Their eyes met from across the room and Sakura lowered her hand to smile easily at him. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Deidara bolting upright to point at Sasori still struggling to fix the stereo. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he tried to undoubtedly articulate some kind of joke at Sasori's expense. Struggling to breathe properly, Deidara lay back down, evidently abandoning such an impossible task. Kisame laughed twice as hard, even as Deidara began kicking him in the back.

"What are they even guffawing about?" asked Itachi in a tired mumble.

"Murder," Kisame choked out before Deidara muttered something that elicited a high-pitched screech of laughter from both of them.

"Psychos," Sasori sighed before turning his back on both of them.

Since they had no more music and since Deidara and Kisame were rendered useless by their inability to stop screeching like hyenas, they ended practice a little earlier than planned. Though Sakura expected Kisame and Deidara to argue over where to eat dinner, Kisame ran off (still snickering) with Deidara at his heels.

"BYE, LOVERS! ENJOY YOUR DATE!" Deidara yelled, grabbing Sasori's wrist to drag him along.

Sakura blinked a couple times as their friends grew farther and farther away. She turned to Itachi who also blinked a few times.

"We have strange friends," he finally said. She nodded solemnly.

They took their time packing their things and dressing. It had become bitterly cold in Konoha for the past few days so Sakura sat on the bench pulling a second pair of socks on over the first. As she laced up her black boots, she felt Itachi's eyes on her.

"What?" she asked. She stood to pull her coat on while he stared even harder. After a long minute, Itachi took a step toward her, put his hand on her shoulder, and knocked his forehead into hers.

"Stop getting prettier. It's making me worried," Itachi grumped out.

"Itachi-kun."

"Yes?"

"Don't be gross just because Dei-chan's not here."

At that, Itachi cracked a smile. Linking fingers together, they walked down the stairs to leave the building. To their surprise, their first steps broke through a thin layer of powdery snow. Throwing her head back, Sakura stared up at the white flakes still drifting down from the black sky.

"Wow! Snow already? It's so pretty!" she sang. She spun around once, spinning Itachi in the process. But he didn't seem to mind. He watched her prance about with a faint smile that she never completely understood. It was only when she stooped to scoop some snow up in her gloved hand that Itachi let out a sigh and slipped his hand around her waist and then tossed her over his right shoulder.

"We are not getting hypothermia tonight. What do you want for dinner?" he said over the sounds of her complaints. Sakura stopped struggling as she thought carefully for a moment.

"Tempura," she finally replied as he began walking to his car. She knew Itachi was smiling even though she couldn't see him.

"What kind? Shrimp? Carrots? Sweet potato?" Itachi queried.

"All of them," she immediately responded. His quiet snort of laughter didn't quite manage to hide underneath the sound of his boots crunching through the snow. The drive home in the warm car was quiet as Sakura scrawled a quick list of the groceries they would need to buy for dinner that day. She had considered doing what housewives did and just buy their food in bulk at the beginning of the week. But most days they ended up being dragged to some restaurant for meals or ended up too tired to do much more than boil hot water for cup ramen. After a quick stop at the nearby store for vegetables and some flour, they took the elevator up to the third floor.

"You are literally carrying four bags. Why," Sakura sighed as she watched Itachi walk ahead of her. Somehow the man managed to juggle her schoolbag, his schoolbag, and two plastic bags of food while keeping up the same casual pace. She was sorely tempted to trip him to see just how much he could handle but she didn't want to risk breaking the carton of eggs in one of the bags.

"Chivalry, Sakura. Simple manners," Itachi responded in a voice that wasn't quite humble.

"Show-off," she sniffed as she dug in her pocket for the key. She bumped into Itachi's back when he suddenly stopped short.

"What's wrong?" Sakura inquired, peering around him. What met her was a man huddled in a pathetic little ball in front of their door. A wilted, sopping bouquet of flowers lay to his left.

"…Dad?"

"Sakura…your father is a failure," Ryuu uttered without looking up at her. Puffing her cheeks out in a pout, Sakura crouched down in front of him.

"What's wrong, Dad?" Her voice was soft as she saw that his hair was plastered to his head and there was still water dripping down his face. Ryuu shook his head vigorously.

"I should not be allowed to live. I am a worthless human being," he sniffed. Sakura's eyes narrowed in on the mauled flowers and then at her father's haggard, unshaved appearance. She took her father's cold hand and stood, trying to pull him up.

"You're not. Now come inside. You're all wet," Sakura said, tugging a little harder. With a little more insistence, Sakura managed to get Ryuu to stand. She unlocked the door and Itachi went to start making dinner while Sakura scrambled around getting a clean towel and finding some of Itachi's clothes that would fit her father. As she sat on the floor, digging through one of the dresser, Itachi walked in to change while the rice cooker worked.

"Why are you so tall?" she grumped out as he closed the door behind him. Itachi chuckled while pulling his dark blue sweater over his head.

"You've never complained before," Itachi noted with a shrug. Sakura glared at him as she pulled out a long-sleeved shirt that would most definitely look like a dress on her much shorter parent.

"It was nice before," she sniffed. She paused to watch Itachi unbutton his shirt and toss it into the hamper. In just a plain t-shirt, the chiseled lines of his chest and arms were so very clear. Itachi caught her staring and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Don't get distracted, Sakura. Your poor father is waiting," he teased just a little. Color rose to her cheeks as she whipped her head around and began pawing frantically through his clothing in response.

"What about your stuff? I think you're around the same height as him," Itachi suggested once he had finished changing.

"My stuff?" she repeated with a thoughtful expression. Muttering to herself, she moved up to the first drawer where she found one of her more simple shirts along with a pair of loose sweatpants she liked to wear on the days she had eaten a few too many cookies. Folding them over her arm, she walked into the kitchen where Ryuu was sitting at the table, both hands on his knees like a child waiting to be scolded. Eyes wide, he jumped a little when Sakura handed the clothes and towel to him.

"Take a shower and get dressed, Dad. You'll get sick," Sakura said, pointing to the bathroom door. The way he mutely stood and obeyed struck her as a little odd.

"Has he always been like that?" asked Itachi, taking a seat at the table with a cutting board and a couple carrots. As he peeled and chopped the vegetables, Sakura stood at the counter to mix the batter for the tempura. Holding the broken halves of an egg in her palm, Sakura paused.

"You know…I wouldn't know. I don't remember him too much," she admitted after some thinking.

Several minutes later, there was a pot of oil bubbling away on the stove and Itachi watched over Sakura's shoulder as she coated the vegetables in batter and carefully dropped them in to fry.

"Aren't you going to flip them?" Itachi asked when she just left the food to float in the hot gold liquid.

"That makes the tempura less crispy. Just leave them," she ordering, swatting his chopsticks away with her own. He responded by putting his hand on her back and leaning in to press his nose against her hair.

"But I'm _hungry_," he murmured in a voice completely unrelated to his stomach.

"Then have some carrot," Sakura retorted, picking up a slice of vegetable and sticking it in Itachi's mouth. Itachi stared at her as her lower lip jutted out in a stubborn pout. She managed to hold onto the expression for about five seconds before she began giggling. Itachi cracked a smile, before he crunched through the carrot and began chewing.

"Looks like someone's getting a little sassy," Itachi remarked, pressing sweet kiss to the side of her mouth. Sakura smiled impishly before she turned back to the tempura to scoop the pieces out before they burned. When a drop of hot oil splattered out, Sakura drew her right hand back with a wince. Itachi immediately grabbed her to check her fingers for a burn. Sakura sulked a little and pretended that it hurt more than it did. She knew that Itachi knew she was laying it on a bit thick from the way he tried not to smile but he still pressed his lips to her fingertips to kiss away whatever pain she claimed lingered. A giggle left her when he lightly nipped at the tip of her thumb.

"I'm jealous," Ryuu's voice morosely interrupted their flirting. Sakura jumped when she looked over and found her father standing in front of the bathroom with a towel draped over his shoulders. Trying to cover up her blush, Sakura quickly pushed her chopsticks into Itachi's hand and hurried over.

"Dad, what are you doing? You've got to dry your hair off," she scolded, reaching up to use the towel to rub furiously at the top of his head. When she began roughly yanking at his collar and fussing with his hair, a laugh spurted out of Ryuu.

"You're just like your mother," he noted. Sakura's hands froze. Scowling a little, Sakura pushed him into a chair.

"That's not really a compliment at the moment, Dad," she softly said, watching the smile slide straight off his face.

Ryuu dug in eagerly to his warm dinner while Sakura and Itachi sat across from him. Only when he was through his fourth piece of crispy shrimp did he look up and find both of them staring at him rather intently.

"So? What happened?" Sakura prompted, tapping her chopsticks against her lower lip as she tried to decide on whether she wanted a piece of carrot or sweet potato.

"I'm afraid to talk to your mother," Ryuu admitted in a very small voice. Sakura blinked a couple times as she chewed.

"Why wouldn't you be?" she demanded in response.

"Eh?" Itachi and Ryuu asked in unison.

"It's normal to be a little scared in these situations, right? I mean, she tried to cut you completely out of my life, right? And you still feel guilty about hurting her so you don't know what to say," Sakura guessed before she popped another piece of tempura in her mouth and chewed diligently. Ryuu was silent for a long time. Setting his chopsticks down on his plate, Ryuu let out a heavy sigh.

"How did you end up to be such a great person from such awful parents, Sakura-chan?" he wondered aloud.

Sakura smiled a little. She nudged the plate closer to her father with her chopsticks.

"Just eat, Dad."

After dinner and some coffee, Ryuu got to his feet. He was changed back into his own clothes which had been tumbled around in the dryer while they ate. As he began pulling his shoes on, Sakura tapped something against his shoulder. Ryuu looked up to find her holding out paper bag to him.

"Don't peek. Just…just bring it with you when you visit mom, okay? I think you'll both need it," she said, not meeting his gaze.

She didn't complain when he pulled her in for an awkward hug. Neither of them knew where to put their arms and how close to be but when they pulled apart, both of them were laughing.

"Good luck," she simply said before Ryuu walked out the door, wilted flowers in one hand and paper bag in the other.

"Did…did I say the right things to him?" Sakura asked without looking. She knew that Itachi was leaning against the doorway, his arm pressed just above her head. His sigh ruffled her hair. Then it was his fingers brushing through the strands, twirling them lightly across his knuckles.

"You need to stop asking me things that I don't know the answer to, Sakura. It makes me feel useless," he grumbled. The sound of her startled laugh was clear and bright.

It turned out that Sakura didn't need an answer. Because three days later, Ryuu marched over to the apartment Sakura and Kirie normally shared and rapped on the door. Eyes red, hair pulled back in a lopsided bun, Kirie answered and then eyed her ex-husband in silence for a long while.

Sakura didn't know what they talked about but Ryuu only told her that her mother cried. For a long time, all she could do was sob, "Ryuu, you're a bastard" and he could only reply, "I'm sorry". But after some coffee and some words, Ryuu admitted that they had turned to the few photo albums they had in the house. They were the ones of Sakura grinning brightly with pigtails and scratched knees. Her teeth were missing, boys picked on her for the size of her forehead. But she was still the happy child they had raised together even if just for a few years.

"What did you end up giving your dad, Sakura?" Itachi asked one day as they sat across from each other at the kitchen table. Sakura glanced up from her textbook and then flashed a little smile.

"My birthday present from you last year," she said. Itachi's eyes widened.

Because they had both missed most of Sakura's childhood. Ryuu had been in America trying to restart a family- one that he wouldn't ruin with his own stupidity. And Kirie had been working nonstop, trying to make her daughter happy with things and objects and presents. Looking through the album of Sakura laughing and dancing and eating and sitting on her friends' shoulders as they carried her through the water was strange. It was a laugh they hadn't seen before. She was a child again.

Though they would never admit it, as they looked through these photos, they both felt a few silent tears leak out.

The second week in November, Sakura answered her cell phone. It was her mother asking if she was free for dinner that night.

They had nabe*. Sitting around the same pot, dipping vegetables and meat in, and talking around mouthfuls of food, they felt the horrible crack that had ripped them apart start to mend even if it was just one pebble at a time. Bellies full and mouths smiling, Kirie and Ryuu sat as they watched Sakura peel an apple for dessert.

"So… I don't know if I have the right to ask this. But… Sakura-chan, that boy you're living with…" Ryuu left his words drift off when Sakura looked up at him with an unreadable expression. Not saying anything, she sliced the apple and stabbed toothpicks through the wedges.

"He's Mikoto-chan's son," Kirie offered before sticking a piece of fruit in her mouth.

"Dad, are you saying that you don't like that I'm staying with my boyfriend?" Sakura finally asked with an exasperated smile. Ryuu immediately shook his head so hard that he looked like a bobble-head doll.

"I just…I just wanted to know how serious you are with him. You know… he seems a little older than you," he slowly responded, eyebrows drawing down low over his eyes.

"Three years," Sakura admitted without hesitation.

"Do you think you'll marry him?"

With both her parents' curious gazes fixated on her, Sakura mulled it over for a bit.

"I don't know. But I'd be happy if I could," she finally admitted. Sakura suddenly felt like a child because her parents looked at each other and then back at her. In that one instant, something passed between them. Years of life and experience and maybe even a little heartbreak had already molded them. There was something they understood that she didn't yet. But for some reason, that didn't scare her. Kirie suddenly smiled.

"Well, since I'm not home so often, it's actually kind of comforting to know that you're with someone so dependable. I think that's safer than a young lady living all by herself," Kirie said. After a pause, Kirie reached for another slice of apple.

"But don't make me a young grandmother. I'm not ready for that yet," she added quite seriously.

Even blushing furiously, Sakura found it in her to laugh at the look of horror on her dad's face.

Ryuu left for America two days later. Sakura hadn't known about his departure until he had showed up at school during her lunch break to say goodbye. Ino, perhaps a little too angry to be reasonable, had caught a glimpse of him and proceeded to scream an endless rain of insults and curses on him until Shikamaru and Chouji had showed up to drag her away. Scratching at his freshly-shaven cheek, Ryuu watched the screaming blonde disappear back into the school building.

"I'm guessing you remember my friend Ino-chan, right?" Sakura laughed.

"It's hard to forget the sound of that scream. She should become an opera singer," Ryuu sighed. Their conversation was still stilted and awkward. There was a decade-long gap as strangers to account for. Still, Sakura couldn't help but feel a little sad as she hugged him and watched him get back into his taxi headed for the airport.

A part of her wondered how she would be different had her parents not divorced. Would she like the same things? Like the same people? Would she still be in love with Itachi? Would he still love her? After a long time pondering, Sakura shook her head and went back inside where her friends were still eating in the classroom. Sasuke watched her carefully when she entered, mouth twisted into a scowl.

"You okay?" he grunted out as she sat down next to him.

"Probably a little better than okay," was her response.

Ino was standing at the back of the classroom, jabbing her finger angrily into Shikamaru's chest to punctuate her words. He gave her the same harried sigh he always did, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"God, Ino, just butt out. This isn't your business. I don't get why you're making things so difficult," Shikamaru finally sighed. At this, Ino turned bright red.

"Sakura is my friend! Of course it's my business! He has NO RIGHT to barge back into her life! And you have no right to tell me what I should or shouldn't do, you lazy asshole!" Ino yelled, her voice growing louder and louder until everyone stopped eating to look up at them. Sakura jabbed Sasuke in the ribs once and he glared at her even as he reached for his wallet.

"Ino, you don't get it. What you think isn't always what's right," Shikamaru replied, his voice growing a little louder too.

Ino glowered at him, hands clenched tightly at her sides. Everyone waited with baited breath for her to scream something else. Instead, a single tear welled up in her right eye before trickling down her cheek.

"SHIKAMARU, YOU IDIOT! WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT WHAT I THINK ANYWAY?!" she yelled. With a frustrated shout, Ino threw her cell phone, hitting him in the forehead. Ino stormed out of the classroom, slamming the door open in the process. Sakura leaned back in her seat with a sigh. Fingers clamped to his forehead, Shikamaru opened one eye to stare at her.

"Aren't you going after her?" he asked, gingerly feeling the little bump that had formed on his head. Sakura exchanged a look with Hinata before she shook her head.

"Don't tell me you're that oblivious, Shikamaru-kun," she scoffed as Sasuke counted out a few bills and handed them over to her. Sakura paused to look down at the money and then fix Sasuke with a glare.

"We agreed on 2000 yen, Sasuke-kun," Sakura reminded him. Rolling his eyes, Sasuke dug out a couple more bills and shoved them at her. Counting her haul like some sort of loan shark, Sakura peered at Shikamaru over the money.

"The longer you wait, the angrier she'll get."

But now it was Shikamaru who was scowling.

"This is all so troublesome," he grumped. Irritated, (and it took a lot to get Hinata irritated) Hinata stood and pointed at Shikamaru.

"Nara-kun, if you drag your feet, Ino-chan's going to get stolen away by some guy and you'll regret it forever!" she squeaked out in as fierce a voice as she could muster. Surprisingly, it was this timid little pep talk that motivated Shikamaru to sigh and trudge out the door after Ino.

"By the way, Sakura-chan, what was the money for?" Naruto asked a few minutes later when everyone had resumed eating. Flashing an evil grin, Sakura waved the money in Sasuke's face.

"I bet him that Ino and Shikamaru would get together before Winter break," Sakura said, still smiling tauntingly.

* * *

Sasori and Deidara were going insane. Kisame kindly pointed out that a crazy person couldn't go crazy again. Sakura pointed out Deidara running around in circles as he babbled into his cell phone while Sasori sat in the corner furiously gnawing on the end of his pencil. They sat in silence to watch before Kisame graciously shook her hand.

"My bad. You're totally right, Sakura-chan," he conceded.

Like they had last year, the duo was once again panicking to finish up their rough drafts to submit to their professors. The annual fashion show was scheduled for the spring again. All of this would have been made significantly less stressful if their model hadn't ended up being one of the most difficult and rude people to work with. After their complete victory the year before, several students had complained that using a dancer as a model was unfair. ("How the hell is that unfair, yeah? I bet if Sakura-chan was a model, these asses would complain that her having pink hair was an unfair advantage!" Deidara raged.) As a result, Konoha University had assigned models to each pair, all girls contracted from professional modeling agencies.

She didn't like the cut of this dress; she didn't like that particular shade of purple. There was a never-ending list of complaints from the girl and Sasori looked just about ready to stab someone with his pencil every time they got off the phone with her.

Fortunately, the girl's measurements were close enough to Sakura's that Sasori was still able to use her for some of the fittings. Sasori abruptly stood, stomping over to Sakura and Kisame sitting in the middle of the studio.

"This," Sasori said, pointing at a picture on the right side of the page while he crouched down in front of Sakura. Sipping at her water, Sakura tilted her head to get a better look. She eyed the flowing lines of the dress and the empire waist that cinched just below the chest.

"What color is this going to be, Saso-kun?" asked Sakura.

"Light yellow," he promptly said. After a little more head-tilting and observing, Sakura nodded.

"I think it looks nice," she finally decided. Sasori didn't seem at all reassured by her approval. If anything, he looked even more conflicted as he retreated back to his little corner to continue scribbling like a madman. Sakura knew from experience that nothing she said or did would actually reach Sasori who had gone a little wacky from lack of sleep and an excess of caffeine. So she looked back at the textbook lying in her lap. University entrance exams were at the end of January and she had just a little over two months to study for them. Kisame was content to munch on his rice ball while she memorized formulas.

"Is Itachi still sleeping?" Kisame suddenly inquired. Sakura and Kisame both looked back to see Itachi lying on his side. His shoulder blades were pressed against Sakura's back and he was using one of her thicker books as a convenient pillow. When she lightly nudged him, he didn't even stir.

"Wow. That hard, huh?" Kisame whistled.

"It was a big exam," Sakura agreed.

"Man, I'm jealous. If only I had a pretty girlfriend to take care of me," he said a little wistfully. Leaning back on his hands, Kisame cocked his head to look at her.

"You okay with your parents now?" Kisame queried.

"Hm… Dad said he wanted me to visit him and meet his family. I'm thinking of going after graduation," replied Sakura while tapping her lower lip.

"Your stepmom sounds like a nice lady," Sasori suddenly piped up without looking up from his drawings.

"And how're you going to fly out all the way to America, My-chan? Itachi's going to die of loneliness, yeah," Deidara scoffed, plopping to the floor in front of her. He lifted his feet into her lap, blocking out the pages of her book. Even when she frowned at him, Deidara just wiggled his socked toes at her until she finally set her book aside for a moment.

"I'm not a rabbit, Deidara," Itachi grumbled, rolling onto his back. He reached over to swat Deidara's legs off of Sakura. When she looked over to thank him, Itachi simply hooked his arm around her waist and moved around to deposit his head in her newly-freed lap.

"Sorry. Did we wake you?" she softly said, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. Giving her a sleepy smile, Itachi put his hand on the back of her head to pull her in for a light kiss. When they broke apart, Kisame and Deidara were clinging to each other with identical expressions of revulsion.

"Doing such a disgraceful thing in front of Mama and Papa. Shame on you two," Kisame gasped in a high-pitched voice.

"Yes. Look how upset you've made Mama, yeah," Deidara chimed in with exaggerated gestures in Kisame's direction.

"You know, Deidara. You're right. Clearly, only a good-looking individual like me is cut out to be Sakura-chan's mother," Kisame relented. He quickly silenced Deidara's protest by planting his foot on the back of Deidara's head and mashing his face against the floor. Sakura sat watching Deidara's face grow purple either from asphyxiation or fury.

"You do realize that as soon as you let go you're going to die, right?" she asked. Kisame gave her a grim smile.

"I'm going to count to five and then run like hell," he simply said. Sakura squinted at Deidara's murderous gaze.

"Make that ten," she suggested.

Later that night, belly full of ice cream and hot chocolate, Sakura threw her notebook aside and rolled off the sofa and onto Itachi who had been stretched out on the floor to highlight passages in his book. He let out a little huff as she landed on his back. Unapologetic, Sakura pressed her chin to his left shoulder.

"Are you done for the night?" Itachi inquired, looking over at her. She hummed noncommittally before she snuggled up against his back and let out a sigh.

"I can't exactly focus with you doing that, Sakura," he chuckled, sounding half-exasperated and half-amused. When she stubbornly refused to budge, Itachi reached around to take her arm. With a little wriggling and laughing, he managed to flip onto his back. Sakura settled for curling up against his right side like an overgrown cat.

"How's the studying going?"

"I'm going to die," Sakura cheerfully replied.

"I don't even remember what the exam was like for me. Maybe it's the trauma," Itachi wondered, rubbing at his chin. Sakura raised her eyebrows at him.

"Or maybe you're getting old," she teased.

"Old?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow at her. She immediately regretted her words when he sat up. Planting a hand on either side of her head, Itachi leaned over her until their noses nearly touched. A smirk curled at his mouth that should have been illegal.

"Old?" Itachi said again.

"Supremely. Ancient," Sakura giggled before Itachi silenced her with a kiss.

It was late enough that a lot of his stubble had grown in. The roughness against her cheeks actually wasn't all that unpleasant. She took a moment to run her thumb along it. Itachi looked at her a little strangely.

"Porcupine," she simply uttered.

"Please don't call me that."

"Ikkun," Sakura promptly tried.

Itachi looked like he didn't know whether to smack his head against the floor or to laugh. Sakura's eyes lit up as she suddenly remembered the talk she had had with her mother.

"You know, my parents asked me if I was planning to marry you," she announced. Itachi's face froze completely. Just his eyes moved to focus in on her face.

"What did you say?" he probed, expression stiff. Feeling just a little mean, Sakura opened her eyes wide with innocence.

"I don't know. Are you proposing to me, Itachi-kun?" she giggled. Her laugh cut off when she saw Itachi's eyebrows knit together in serious thought. When he finally spoke, she found herself holding her breath for some reason.

"You're going to be the death of me," he sighed, letting his forehead press against her shoulder. After a long pause, Itachi looked up at her again.

"If I said yes, would you consider keeping that proposal on reserve for a few years?" Itachi demanded. A laugh spurted out of Sakura as she reached up to put her palms on his cheeks.

"Oh my gosh. Dei-chan was right. You're kind of a social retard," she sighed. But Itachi's earnest look remained unchanged.

"Do you honestly think I would say no, Itachi-kun?" Sakura responded very seriously.

So that was how Haruno Sakura ended up suddenly engaged at 17 years old.

* * *

Nabe* is a hot pot dish popular in Japan during the winter. Everyone gathers around a pot filled with broth and they take turns cooking thinly-sliced meat or vegetables and then dipping it in sauce. It's considered a dish that can help people grow closer so I thought it would be appropriate. Also, nabe is just plain delicious.

Wowowow! Thanks to everyone for the reviews! Just 5 chapters left until the end.

Let me know what you think. Let me know who your favorite character is!


	23. Snowfall

Fancy Footwork

Chapter 23: Snowfall

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yeah, My-chan. Won't this be weird and all uncomfortable for you?"

"I'd say it's better to wait a little."

Puffing her cheeks out, Sakura glared at Deidara, Itachi and Kisame all lounging around on the living room floor.

"You should all relax. You sound like overprotective mothers," Sasori sighed.

"YOU'RE THE ONE HANGING ALL OVER MY-CHAN! IT'S DISGUSTING, YEAH!" Deidara roared, pointing angrily. Indeed Sasori's arms were draped over Sakura's shoulders. He dangled innocently, his face a smooth mask of apathy. But for once, Sakura didn't get involved in the middle of their bickering. She glanced up to see Itachi scooting across the floor toward her. When he put his hand over hers, Sasori sighed and moved away to dig a fresh lollipop out of his bag.

"You don't have to push yourself. You have every right to still be angry," Itachi said with a hint of irritation in his voice.

"I thought you were best friends with my mom," she responded. He hadn't bothered to hide that while Sakura had refused to speak to her mother, he had kept in touch with Kirie instead, updating her about Sakura's day and how angry she seemed.

"Sakura."

An incoherent noise of frustration escaped her mouth.

"Of course I'm still pissed. But it's still my mom. And she's not coming back to Japan for a while," Sakura groaned out. Sasori inched back over with a bright green lollipop resting between his front teeth.

"A while? How long's a while?" Sasori demanded while reaching over to pull Sakura's feet into his lap. He had quickly learned from Kisame that one way to prevent one of her rare outbursts of rage was to massage her feet. At this, Kisame, who had been lying on his back, sat up with an equally distrusting expression. He glanced over at Deidara who was scowling his suspicions.

"I think she said around two years?" was Sakura's response.

At the same time, four men all said: "Oh."

Because what else do you say in such a situation?

"Really? Two years? She's leaving you all by yourself for two years?" Kisame finally demanded after a lengthy pause.

"Not much of a change from the last several years. It's just that now she's not breaking any promises, yeah," Deidara muttered sourly.

"Dei-chan," Sakura sighed. But Deidara only threw his hands up in the air with an agitated whine.

"What? It's true!" he insisted without remorse. And though Sakura was still very angry with her mother, she felt some need to defend her. But even after some searching, she found that there wasn't much to defend her with.

"I'm just having dinner with her before she leaves. It'll be fine," Sakura firmly said, quashing any other protest that tried to bubble up. Deidara's mouth opened, shut, opened and then shut again under the weight of her stare. Kisame's lower lip jutted out in a pout but he didn't say anything either.

"It'll be fine," she repeated, this time looking directly into Itachi's dark eyes. It took a moment but he nodded almost wearily. Out of nowhere, Sasori managed to wriggle his way between them and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.

"You have the biggest, bravest heart. Do you know that?" Sasori suddenly said in that same monotone he always used.

"Saso-kun, you liar," she sniffed in response.

An hour later, Sakura stood in front of a familiar white door. Her eyes darted from the doorbell to the key resting in her palm. She had used it countless times before and it wasn't like the lock had changed. But the lights were on inside and suddenly Sakura didn't know if she was allowed to just barge in anymore. After some thought, she pushed the bell and waited. She could hear Kirie's footsteps pattering closer until the door swung open and she was met with her mother's tired face.

"Sakura," Kirie whispered. Her voice was so utterly relieved that Sakura didn't know what to say. Sakura was crushed in the second tight embrace of the day and she let out a little sigh. Her mother still smelled like floral perfume and ink from the fancy fountain pens she always used to sign all her big business contracts.

Sakura wasn't going to lie to herself. Years and years of being lied to weren't simply willed away by one hug. This person had stolen her father from her. But feeling her mom, all bones and thin limbs and weariness, Sakura realized that Haruno Kirie was all alone in the world without her.

"Hey Mom. Are you hungry?"

Over steaming udon and hot tea, the mother and daughter slowly learned about each other again. Kirie, still nervous and unsure as always, watched Sakura with wondering eyes as she moved around the kitchen with ease. She eyed the light blue apron tied around her waist with visible envy.

"Are you happy, Sakura?" Kirie suddenly asked. Sakura's fingers slipped, nearly dropping the cup she had been carrying to the sink. Eyebrows knitting together, she turned to face her mother.

"Yeah. Why?" Sakura slowly responded. Kirie's mouth pulled down.

"Even with your mother moving to America?" Kirie inquired in a lower voice. Letting out a tired sigh, Sakura placed the cup in the sink and leaned her hip against the counter.

"Let's be honest, Mom. We haven't lived in the same house for a long time," she replied. Not even looking sad or hurt, Kirie shrugged.

"I think I still managed to raise a pretty good daughter though," Kirie commented. A little smile appeared on the corners of Sakura's lips.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

The next day, when Kirie's plane took off for Chicago, Sakura stood in the airport terminal. Staring out the window, she watched the plane become a faint speck in the clear blue skies with a soft feeling of loss. A quiet breath left her mouth as she pressed her palm to the glass.

"She made me promise to visit during summer break," she suddenly said. A familiar chuckle reached her ears. Itachi's arm looped around her waist to pull her against his side. She rubbed her cheek against the slightly rough fabric of his black pea coat. The sensation of his gloved hand on her arm through the thin material of her sweater made her shiver.

"You didn't have to drive us. We could have found a taxi," Sakura suddenly remarked. She knew Itachi was rolling his eyes.

"It's not entirely for you. Scoring extra points with your mother isn't exactly a bad thing for me," he replied with a hint of a chuckle in his tone. Eyebrows raised, she tilted her head back to look at his smug expression.

"Why? Are you planning to propose anytime soon?" she teased. Unexpectedly, Itachi's face pinched into a frown.

"What do you mean planning?"

Catching a hint of something strange in his voice, Sakura pulled away from him.

"What? Are we going to break up once we get sick of each other?" Sakura demanded, trying to keep her voice light. She had heard about this sort of thing from Ino. Sometimes older guys liked to date younger girls just for fun before breaking up with them for "real" women. Itachi stared at her like she had just punched him in the face.

"Sakura, I already did. I proposed to you. I proposed to you last month," he slowly said. Pursing her lips, Sakura tried to think back, to recall if anything like that had actually happened. All the while, Itachi stared at her with horror and maybe even a little anger. And slowly, she recalled their conversation a few weeks ago. Eyes widening, she pointed at his nose.

"Wait! No! That was just a joke, right? Or like one of those 'sweet nothings' couples say to each other, right?" she exclaimed, drawing a few stares.

"Sakura, I wouldn't joke with you about something so serious. And it's not like I asked you to marry me tomorrow. I asked you to keep that on reserve for a few years," reminded Itachi, rubbing his face with his hands as he spoke. Exhaling noisily, he peered out at her past his fingers. Sakura stared at him, mouth hanging open.

"Oh…my… Wait, that was a real proposal? A few years?" she babbled.

"Sakura," Itachi sighed yet again.

"A few years? Like when? When I'm 21 or something?" probed Sakura with a scowl.

"Well, you'd have graduated from college by then and probably be entering medical school. That seems like an ideal time," reasoned Itachi, completely oblivious to Sakura's cheeks flushing bright red. But she wasn't embarrassed.

"And you're just assuming that's what I'd want?"

"Well you did say yes."

"I thought you were kidding. Besides, this isn't something you should decide all by yourself. Don't you think this is something we need to really discuss carefully?"

A loaded question. He blundered right into it.

"I don't see why you're so upset. Does something like that even matter?"

All the people walking around in the airport suddenly froze as a little teenage girl with pink hair balled her hands into fists and stood on her tiptoes to shout.

"Stupid! Your obliviousness really pisses me off sometimes!" Sakura yelled before she stormed off, purposely knocking into him as roughly as possible as she shoved past.

Absolutely stunned, Itachi stared at the spot Sakura had been occupying.

"What just happened?" he asked the air.

* * *

"HAHA! SO YOU GUYS HAD A FIGHT?"

"Don't laugh, Dei-chan! I'm trying to be angry!" Sakura whined, shaking Deidara's shoulder. Patting the top of her head, he pushed his slice of cake toward her as an apology. Her sulking lasted for all of five seconds before she scraped a thick chunk of frosting off with a fork and stuck it in her mouth. Humming happily, she proceeded to devour the entire treat along with the bright red strawberry resting on top.

"Hey, Sasori, what do you think, hm?" Deidara asked, jabbing his fork in Sasori's direction. Across the table, Sasori slowly lifted his head. He brought his hands above the table to reveal a startlingly accurate voodoo doll of Itachi complete with a ponytail. Sakura slipped out of her seat and instead sat down next to Sasori to carefully pull the doll out of his hands.

"Saso-kun. No," she said evenly.

"Not just one poke?" asked Sasori rather earnestly.

"No," Sakura replied just as solemnly with a little shake of her head. Shrugging, Sasori let the pin he had been holding drop to the table while Deidara stared on with horror. Eyes wary, Sakura moved back over to sit next to Deidara, carefully setting the doll out of Sasori's reach.

"I know you're mad, Sasori. But no need to murder Itachi," Deidara sighed as he shook his head. At this, Sasori raised his eyebrows, the only indication that he felt anything at all.

"Murder? I was just going to disfigure him just enough that Sakura-chan no longer found him attractive," responded Sasori. Sakura and Deidara stared at each other for a long moment.

"Well that's…sweet, Saso-kun. But I'll let you know ahead of time if that's ever necessary, okay?"

It was only when Sasori nodded that they let out a deep sigh of relief. After a long moment, Deidara peered down at his cooled coffee and raised an eyebrow.

"So?" he prompted before he took a sip of his drink. Sakura watched him arch an eyebrow at her while the rest of his face disappeared behind his mug.

"So?" she repeated with confusion.

"What did you fight about?" Sasori clarified with a nearly noiseless sigh. Sakura scowled. Crossing her arms over her chest, she shook her head.

"What? So you'll complain that you fought but you won't explain about what, yeah?"

She nodded.

"Idiot," Sasori and Deidara retorted in unison. But Sasori lightly poked her nose to let her know that he wasn't actually annoyed.

"So you want us to beat him up or something, yeah?" Deidara asked, propping his chin up in his hand. Nibbling on the end of her fork, Sakura shook her head again.

"You want more cake?"

There was a nod this time.

Chuckling, Deidara ruffled Sakura's hair as she hid her smile in her coffee. Sasori picked up a cube of sugar and threw it at Deidara's grin.

"Screw you, Sasori."

"I'll kill you, Deidara."

As Sasori motioned the waiter over to order more food, Itachi sat in his car, staring down at his cell phone. He was parked in the deck for his apartment building and had been for close to an hour. For the millionth time, he slid his fingers across the screen to check for anything new. But the only thing he saw was the last message she had sent to him the night before asking him if they had any rice left. With a tired sigh, he finally got out of the car. Rubbing his chilled fingers together, he waited for the elevator.

It wasn't like her not to contact him. Then again, this was the first time he had ever really witnessed Sakura losing her temper. Deidara and Sasori liked to brag that they had had the great privilege of seeing Sakura screaming and how terrifying yet adorable she was.

"I guess it means My-chan is more comfortable around me than she is around you, huh?" Deidara had leered, jabbing with his elbow. The pain in Itachi's side wasn't nearly as bad as the nagging jealousy rising in his gut.

The sound of the key sliding into the lock sounded hollow without Sakura chattering away in the background. The doorknob was cool in his palm as he pushed his way inside. There was no smell of dumplings frying away on the stove or rich aroma of the coffee maker brewing. Dirty dishes from breakfast were still stacked in the sink. Their laundry, tossed easily into the same basket, sat quietly on top of the washing machine.

Sakura hadn't come home yet. Because no matter how angry she was, she was the type to stomp around doing chores rather than ignoring them.

Pushing his shoes out of the way, Itachi tossed his jacket over the back of a kitchen chair and poured himself a glass of water. When he lifted the cup to his lips, his phone buzzed from inside his pocket. Nearly choking, he scrambled to retrieve the phone while trying to stop his coughing.

"Looking for someone?" a voice chortled out with evil glee. Still coughing a little, Itachi sighed.

"Cut it out, Deidara. Where is she?" he demanded. There was the clink of a cup against a saucer. Soft music filtered past the low hum of voices. And then, startlingly clear, he could hear Sakura's laughter. Her voice rose and fell, giggling while Sasori's monotone occasionally mingled with her tones.

"Sasori and My-chan eloped and right now we're at the reception- OW!" Deidara's words ended with a yelp.

"Sasori! My-chan punched me! She actually hit me, yeah!" he whined.

"What the hell! Why are you hitting me too, Sasori?" the blond snarled. After some crackling, Deidara's voice faded away.

"Sakura-chan won't tell us what you did but you're a phenomenal asshole and I'm going to pinch you next time I see you," Sasori announced before he hung up.

Itachi stared blankly down at his hand as he listened to silence.

Sakura came home an hour later. As soon as he heard the door open, Itachi whipped his head around so quickly that his neck cracked. Sakura stepped inside, her cheeks rosy from the cold wind outside. She glanced at him over the thick white muffler covering most of her face. He could see her eyebrows furrow as she most likely scowled at him before she busied herself unlacing her boots and lining them up by the door.

"Hold on one second, Sakura-chan. I just need to talk to your idiot," Sasori said. Before Sakura could say anything, Sasori marched inside, headed straight for Itachi, and grasped his nose between his thumb and his pointer finger.

"There. I pinched you. Now stop being dumb," the red-head calmly ordered. Then he serenely glided over to Sakura who stared at him. He lightly pinched her nose too before he headed out the door. Deidara stuck his head inside to wave at Itachi and then gave Sakura a one-armed hug before he was gone too. Highly confused and still rubbing his nose, Itachi looked over at Sakura who looked equally perplexed.

"I was half-afraid he was going to beat you up again," Sakura remarked while unwinding her scarf. Unbuttoning her coat, she walked into the kitchen to toss her scarf on the table. She dropped a blue box on the table from the café she had visited. Inside were far too many cakes for any one person to eat without exploding. Sakura highly suspected that Deidara was hoping eating cake together would help her and Itachi make-up.

"Sakura, about earlier-"

"Oh look! We didn't do the laundry yet!" Sakura loudly interrupted, pushing past him to get to the machine. She ignored his pointed looks, all his sighs. She pretended that she honestly had no idea what he was trying to say as she bustled around doing the most inane things. Eventually he stopped following her around and shut himself in his study to do his work. In response, Sakura cheerfully made dinner, ate by herself, and stuck his portion in the refrigerator. She studied by herself in the bedroom for a few hours before washing up and going to bed.

An hour later, she heard him enter the room. Without saying anything, he changed his clothes and slipped under the covers. They didn't touch at all. Her curled up on her side in a tight ball and him stretched out with his hands tucked under his head. They lay in silence for a long time before either of them actually fell asleep.

* * *

"What's up?" Sasuke asked one day as he walked into his friends' classroom. Outside he could faintly hear the yells of some freshmen girls and Karin arguing over who liked him best. He had a sinking feeling that whoever won would be particularly clingy and shrill for the next few days. Naruto and Hinata, as usual, were off in their own lovey-dovey corner. Ino was missing from their usual group but that was most likely because the blonde had taken to eating lunch with her new boyfriend in his classroom. ("**BOYFRIEND**. You hear that? Shikamaru's my boyfriend now!" Ino had squealed into his ear. Sasuke held back from shoving her into the street only because Sakura would be mad at him if she got hit by a car.)

Sakura was sitting on top of her desk, legs swinging back and forth with her eyes glued to the textbook in her lap. There was a box of strawberry milk in her hand that she occasionally raised to her lips to sip from. Behind her, Sai was calmly eating his lunch with headphones clamped firmly over his ears. Sasuke nodded at the few people who turned to greet him before he plopped down in Sakura's chair. There was a magazine inside her desk that immediately caught his interest. After he flipped through the first few pages, Sasuke tugged on the back of her blouse.

"Still Christmas shopping?" he asked, pointing at the various products circled in red marker. Not looking at him, Sakura nodded rather lazily.

"You done fighting with my stupid brother?" he asked again. This time Sakura turned to fix him with a withering stare.

It had been a full week since she had lost her temper with Itachi at the airport. They were on speaking terms but neither of them brought up the question of marriage again. And to say they were on speaking terms was a bit misleading. They spoke about the most superficial and stupid things. They talked while shopping for groceries or eating dinner but their bright smiles were disturbing enough that no one dared to ask what the matter was.

"He asked me if you seemed angry at school. He didn't say anything else," Sasuke assured her when her suspicious glare only intensified. Placated, Sakura lobbed her carton in the trash but still made a point of fixing Sasuke with one last pointed look before she let the grumpy look drop.

"I'm just a little annoyed. He was being pig-headed and now I kind of feel bad but I don't want to apologize because I didn't say anything wrong," Sakura blurted out in one long breath. Sasuke stared at her for a long time before he shook his head.

"Idiot couple," he muttered.

Later that day, Uchiha Sasuke texted his brother:

_Sakura's pissed off. You're both stupid._

Staring down at the simple message, Itachi couldn't help but agree a little.

* * *

Day nine of their fight was marked by Deidara and Sasori drilling intense stares into the back of Itachi's head. Kisame, frozen in a pike with just one arm holding him up and both legs in the air, watched the spectacle with glee. Next to him, Sakura tried to imitate him only to fall flat on her butt. As Kisame roared with laughter at the dumbfounded look on Sakura's face, Sasori used the noise as cover to slink over to Itachi and hiss one word in his ear.

"**Fiji."**

"Don't make me hurt you, senpai," Itachi flatly replied. But Sasori looked absolutely serious as he sat back down in his previous spot and went back to watching Sakura before she noticed anything amiss. She was too preoccupied with yelling at Kisame to notice Itachi's left eye twitch as he realized that Sasori's idle remark about eloping with Sakura to a tropical island might not be as harmless as he had thought. As he considered his options carefully, Kisame and Sakura's argument escalated until the large man threw her over his shoulder and began swinging her around to shut her up. Deidara looked on with the horrified expression of a panicking mother.

"Practice is over early," Itachi abruptly announced as he got to his feet. Kisame turned to look at him, nearly dropping Sakura in the process.

"Sorry!" Kisame yelped as he managed to grab Sakura before she landed on her head. Still draped over his shoulder like a sack of angry potatoes, Sakura gave him one good thump on back for revenge. Grinning sheepishly, Kisame gently set her back on her feet and patted the top of her head for good measure. Sakura stuck her tongue out at him to let him know that all was forgiven.

"Wait. What do you mean, yeah? We started like a half hour ago," Deidara demanded with a scowl. As he spoke, he stood and went to punch Kisame in the arm for potentially endangering Sakura. Kisame retaliated by shoving Deidara aside with his hip.

"Only because you took an hour to go buy drinks, Goldilocks," Kisame muttered.

"Come, children. Let the grown-ups talk," Sasori said, taking Deidara and Kisame each by the hand before they could start kicking each other.

"Wait, what? Who're the children? And what is he talking about?" asked Kisame even as Sasori led him out of the room.

Sakura watched Itachi without saying anything. She would have demanded to know what the heck he was up to if he hadn't looked a little bit lost himself. Pursing his lips, Itachi checked the time on his phone before he suddenly turned to her.

"What do you want for dinner?" Itachi asked. Without thinking, Sakura blurted out the first food that came to mind.

"Okonomiyaki*."

They wordlessly packed their things and headed down to his car. There was a nice little restaurant about 10 minutes from the university. The wooden tables were scrubbed clean and the waitress had a pleasant smile. Sakura's eye twitched when the voluptuous waitress turned her back to her to offer Itachi a flirty giggle while taking his order. Itachi caught her expression over the edge of his menu and Sakura tried to keep up her stern expression of disapproval when he quirked a smile. But while the waitress read their orders back to her to confirm, Itachi reached across the table to nudge Sakura's fingers with his until her frown evened out.

"How was your day?" he asked as he had for the past nine days. Their fingers laced together.

"Good. How was yours?" Sakura responded.

"Good," Itachi echoed back.

It was hard to really stay angry when he smiled at her like that.

Mikoto and Fugaku's anniversary was the next day so they stopped by Mikoto's favorite French bakery to pick up some petit fours. Sakura was too exhausted as of late to even cook simple dinners. They either ate at a restaurant or Itachi whipped together something (which was always surprisingly tasty). She felt guilty for not putting in more effort but Itachi didn't seem to mind, only pausing to press a kiss to her temple before they continued up the stairs to the apartment.

As soon as they stepped inside, Itachi tucked the box into the refrigerator and then watched as Sakura pried her boots off and flopped bonelessly onto the sofa. Her phone rang shrilly from somewhere inside her coat but she ignored it. On the fourth ring, Itachi walked over to the living room and easily fished the phone out from her pocket to swipe his finger across the screen.

"Good night, Deidara," Itachi firmly said before Deidara could get a word in. Ending the call, he set the phone on the coffee table. Sakura peered up at him through her hair before she tucked her knees up to her chest to give him room to sit. He graciously settled beside her, pulling her feet into his lap so she could stretch her legs out.

"You didn't tell them why we fought?' inquired Itachi as she sat up, hugging a pillow to her chest.

"I didn't think you wanted another black eye," she responded with a smile.

"I still don't really understand why you're angry with me," he admitted. Sakura's smile dimmed but she wasn't really mad anymore. Tapping her finger against the pillow tassel, she thought for a long moment.

"It's not that I wouldn't want to marry you ever. Being married to you would be really great, I think. And I really want to get married and be a mom. It's just… It's just that I want to do so many different things before I do all **that**," Sakura slowly explained, pausing as she tried to gather words that wouldn't set off either of their tempers. She knew it was a sensitive topic for him because Uchiha Itachi was a gentleman through and through and marriage was probably a big deal for the first son of the first son for however many generations the Uchiha family had been rich and famous. Which was probably a lot.

"Sakura," Itachi began, rubbing his face with his hands.

"It's not like I'm going to stop you from doing any of those things. I'll be there to support you," he said, voice slightly muffled through his fingers. After a moment he lowered his hands and looked her full in the face. But Sakura was frowning again.

"It's different. Accomplishing things on my own and being married. It's a huge difference," she argued. They watched each other with equal wariness.

"I won't marry you until I'm ready. And that might take a long time," Sakura firmly said. Sighing, Itachi propped his chin up in his hand to regard her with a defeated smile.

"My stubborn little girlfriend. Fine. But I won't stop nagging you about it until you are," he relented as he reached over to take her hand. Sakura made a noise in the back of her throat like she was about to disagree but then she twisted her lips together into a little smile.

"We're going to fight a lot about this," Sakura guessed as she watched their fingers lace together. Itachi shrugged.

"And we'll make up a lot," responded Itachi. A little comforted by the idea, Sakura looked toward the refrigerator.

"We have cream puffs in the freezer," she mused mostly to herself.

"Should we make coffee for that?" Itachi asked, following her line of sight. Her nose scrunched up as she thought.

"We just had dinner," she grumbled even as she eyed the fridge longingly.

"Then I'll make coffee to go with them," he declared, rising. The creak of the sofa springs sounded almost like a groan. With her lip jutting out in pout, Sakura followed him with her eyes.

"When I get too fat to walk up stairs, you're going to carry me," she muttered while plopping the pillow down on the couch. To her surprise, Itachi set the kettle on the stove and then turned around to look at her. Elbows resting on top of the counter, he regarded her with a smile.

"Deal."

* * *

A few days before Christmas break, Sakura sat in the student council room. It was lunchtime and she knew Hinata and the others would probably be looking for her. But she had a couple of minutes and somehow the quiet of the room was very appealing at the moment. Taking a deep breath, she shrugged her blazer off and tossed it on top of her desk. There was no paperwork to be done. The financial report had been typed up by Inari and Sakura had checked it over. The freshman, though somewhat of a tsundere, was definitely thorough and Sakura wasn't so worried about what would happen to the student council when she graduated. The desks that the underclassmen used were neat too. No stray papers. Not even a loose rubber band.

Out of habit, Sakura opened the top right drawer to look at the collection of red stamps Neji had left for her. Alongside them sat his old name tag. They occasionally made it a point to talk to contact each other. He was busy studying to become a dentist and she was busy still studying for the entrance exams coming up next month but that didn't mean that they didn't have a few minutes to send a couple messages back and forth. Apparently Neji was doing quite well with Tenten despite their long-distance relationship with him studying in Tokyo and Tenten choosing to stay in Konoha to attend a small local college.

Surprisingly it was Deidara and Kisame who proved to be most helpful in her studies. Since Itachi and Sasori were too naturally smart, their attempts to teach ended up with Sakura feeling more stupid than educated. Though Deidara and Kisame weren't stupid, they weren't geniuses either so they understood that complex calculus formulas didn't just melt into the brain so easily. Most nights, after practice, they invited themselves over to help Sakura study and to mooch some free dinner before they excused themselves.

She wasn't nervous.

Okay, she was nervous. Failing the entrance exam would mean an extra year wasted studying until she could try again the following winter. It wasn't like her mother minded. And she was sure nobody would be disappointed except for herself. But Haruno Sakura didn't like failure. And she liked wasted time even less.

To add to her troubles, she had called her father who had returned home to his family in New York. His wife had picked up, all excitement and enthusiasm and just "so, so thrilled" to finally speak to her. By the time Ryu had gotten to the phone, Sakura was laughing. They chatted, still stilted and timing a little off, but it was getting easier and easier. Sakura found that she had a lot of her father in her. Rational, easily flustered, just a little bit of a dreamer. And then, out of the blue, he had asked such a strange question.

"Have you considered going to college here? In New York?"

She hadn't known what to say. But Ryu laughed, laughed in that way he did when he was embarrassed.

"Just think about it. You could stay with us. Get a new experience. And your mom's in America too, right? Let me know what you decide."

"Stupid dad," Sakura muttered, kicking at the air.

Sighing, Sakura stood, pulled her blazer on, and went to join her friends for a noisy lunch.

The one really good thing was that she had finally made up with Itachi and they were back to being sappy and lovey-dovey enough to make Kisame look a little nauseated at times.

"You know, I'm sort of glad we fought," Itachi remarked one night. Sakura sat on the floor trying to memorize chemical formulas while he sat on the sofa quizzing her. She looked up from her notes with a puzzled expression.

"Why would you be glad?" she asked.

"Because that's the first time you yelled at me. And you said exactly how you felt. Don't you think that means you're comfortable enough around me to tell the truth?" he said.

"Maybe," responded Sakura with a mysterious smile.

"Maybe?" he repeated.

"Next question please."

"Sakura, maybe?"

"Next question, you silly old man."

And so time passed and the day before Christmas, Itachi shoved his frozen hands into his pockets. Puffing out clouds of white, he craned his neck to scan the faces passing on the sidewalk. Beside him, Deidara was furiously texting away to his latest girl. His womanizing tendencies hadn't gotten any better even after Sakura had yelled at him but everyone just sighed and shook their heads and accepted that maybe Deidara would never change. Kisame jogged up to them with a toothy grin, gloved fingers tucked away in the pockets of his navy blue parka.

"Where's the missus, Itachi?" Kisame joked as he bumped his fist against his friend's.

"She said she was busy. Probably studying," responded Itachi as he looked up. It had started snowing earlier that week and the white fluff hadn't stopped piling up since. Of course Sakura was delighted. She loved Christmas and she loved snow just as much. Huffing a sigh, Itachi was silently grateful that he lived in an apartment building so his landlord would take care of shoveling the sidewalk.

Out of the blue, some of their friends from high school had decided to meet up for dinner. Itachi had considered inviting Sakura but he knew most of his friends were single and would probably spend the better part of the night getting drunk and bitter about being alone if she joined them. So he told her where he was going and gave her a quick kiss (or two) before heading out. With Deidara's stupid chuckling and Kisame's jibes, Itachi began to regret not having her there to keep them on their best behavior.

"You guys are early."

They looked up to see Kakuzu walking over to them. He had recently started interning at a big banking company and let them know by his fancy suit underneath his designer coat. Itachi heard Deidara snigger under his breath before they exchanged the usual handshakes and greetings.

It took a few more minutes for Hidan and Zetsu to arrive. Since it was starting to snow, they exchanged hurried words before they began walking the few blocks to the restaurant.

"So, where's Pinky? I thought she'd be here with you sad losers," Hidan promptly began. Only Kakuzu looked confused.

"Itachi got himself a pretty girlfriend. And a high school girl at that," Zetsu supplied with a sly grin. Deidara and Kisame scowled in unison.

"Don't talk about Sakura-chan like that. She's a good kid," Kisame grumbled.

"Yeah. Cod-boy's right," Deidara piped in. Laughing amongst themselves, they mock-punched and shoved each other the same way they had done in high school.

"She was kind of flat. Nice hair though," Hidan remarked. Stony-faced, Kisame pushed him off the sidewalk and into the street. Narrowly avoiding being hit by a car, Hidan jumped back up with a cheeky smile.

"Speak of the devil. Isn't that her?" he said, pointing into the crowd. Everyone rolled their eyes. He was probably pointing at some overweight old man and would laugh himself silly when he got everyone to look. But Hidan seemed genuinely excited. So, one by one, they followed his finger to a small convenience store. The glass doors slid open and out walked Sakura. There was a thick white scarf bundled around the lower half of her face and a black knit cap pulled low over her ears. But her pink bangs peeked out from underneath, giving her away. She was dressed in her favorite black pea coat over gray sweater tights and lace-up boots.

"Let's go surprise her, yeah," Deidara said, elbowing Kisame. Before the duo could sneak up on her, someone else exited the store to join her.

"Ah, it's Baby Sasu-chan," remarked Kisame. Almost immediately Deidara's hand flew to his mouth.

"Scandal! My-chan's fair heart is being stolen by the baby brother," Deidara teased, nudging Itachi with his elbow until Kisame's fist descended on top of his head.

In fact, it was Sasuke standing next to her. With his glasses and damp hair, it took an extra second to recognize him. Everyone watched as he handed Sakura a plastic bag and said something to her. Since the scarf covered her mouth, it was impossible to tell if she spoke in response until Sasuke rolled his eyes. Sakura shoved him with her hip and began walking down the snow-dusted sidewalk. While Deidara began shaking Kisame furiously, Itachi sighed and pushed through the crowd to catch up with the retreating duo before Hidan grabbed him by the back of his coat to stop him.

"I got a better idea, you stalker. Why don't we just call her?" Hidan suggested with a mischievous grin. Deidara stopped throttling Kisame long enough to listen. His azure eyes lit up and before anyone else could, he whipped out his phone and dialed her. Sakura picked up after three rings and Deidara immediately hit speakerphone.

"Hi, pretty girl. What's shaking, yeah?" he greeted her rather cheerfully. Everyone's eyes were glued to Sakura standing across the street. They watched her hook her finger onto the edge of her scarf and pull to expose her mouth.

"Dei-chan! I thought you were going out to dinner with the guys today," she responded in an equally chipper tone. As she spoke, she handed the plastic bag back to Sasuke who scowled but held onto it for her.

"I am. Just killing a little time before we go eat, yeah. You doing anything fun?" Deidara asked as casually as possible. There was no hesitation before Sakura spoke again.

"I was studying but then I had the weirdest craving for fried chicken so I ran out to buy some. Hey, are you laughing at me?"

Heads whipped around to glare at Kisame who had been snickering.

"Nah, My-chan. But it's dark out so you should be careful walking around. Wouldn't want dear Mrs. Itachi to get molested or something, yeah," Deidara chuckled. There was a brief pause before Sakura laughed too.

"You're so weird, Dei-chan. But I brought Sasuke-kun along as a guard dog. And he's glaring at me right now because he wants to eat so I've got to go. You have fun, okay?" Sakura said, turning her head to look back at Sasuke who lightly hit her leg with the plastic bag.

"Alright. See you around, My-chan," Deidara responded equally cheerfully before he ended the call. They stood in a small circle of silence for a moment before Kisame put his hand on Deidara's face and pushed him aside.

"Annoying. Are we done? I'm hungry," Kisame yawned. Crossing his arms behind his head, he strode down the street. Shaking his eyes, Kakuzu followed along with Zetsu who smirked at Deidara.

"Whose heart's being stolen? Stupid," scoffed Itachi before he went to join the group.

"I WAS JUST LOOKING OUT FOR YOU! YOU'RE THE STUPID ONE, ITACHI!" Deidara snarled as he ran to catch up. And across the street, Sakura turned around to the sound of a very familiar voice.

"What's wrong?" asked Sasuke, whacking her with the plastic bag again until she looked at him again.

"Nothing," she responded with a shrug.

After a loud dinner filled with lots of joking and beers to accompany the meat sizzling away on the grill, the group parted ways. Itachi dropped Kisame off at his apartment and made it home to find the smell of soap in the air. It didn't take long to find her curled up on the loft underneath a pile of still-warm laundry. Her notebook, filled with highlights and eraser shavings, lay open in front of her. Sakura stirred when he let out a faint huff of laughter. Rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands, she let out a huge yawn.

"Hi. I was doing laundry," she mumbled, voice croaky with sleep. Without really opening her eyes all the way, Sakura simply held out her arms and waited for him to pick her up. As he carried her the short distance to the bed, Sakura inhaled the clean smell of snow lingering in his hair. She liked the crisp smell of winter air that could never really be defined as smelling specifically like anything else. It was just what it was.

"Sorry. I fell asleep. I was going to fold the clothes," she sighed when he pulled the sheets and covers over her. The soft cotton was just cold enough for her to miss the warmth of his arms around her.

"I figured," Itachi responded with a slight smile.

"What time is it?" Sakura inquired even as she turned onto her side to snuggle comfortably against the pillow. She vaguely recognized that the pillow smelled not like her shampoo but like Itachi's aftershave and soap. She was on the wrong side of the bed. Pressing her nose against it, she inhaled deeply and decided that she really didn't care.

"Almost 1. And don't worry about the laundry. I'll take care of it," said Itachi. He rested his palm against her cheek for a moment before he slipped away. Listening to him shaking out the towels before folding them was a reassuring noise to fall back asleep to. But soon she felt his lips ghosting over her ear before they pressed against her forehead and then touched her mouth. She sighed as his bare arm slipped around her waist. The edge of her shirt rode up just enough for her to feel the heat of his skin warming her cool back. Limbs sluggish and eyelids heavy, she let him pull her close until she didn't feel cold anymore.

As the snow that had been falling for days finally stopped falling from the darkened sky, Sakura drifted back to sleep to the soft thud of a heartbeat in her ears.

Christmas morning, there was no pounding on the front door, no annoying phone call to wake her. There was nothing but the gentle rumble of Itachi's breaths and the noise of her own exhalations. Sakura blinked once, so slowly that she almost fell back asleep. She almost always woke up first and admittedly she liked being able to see Itachi's expression as he slept. Not plagued by schoolwork and fatigue, his face was strangely childlike when he slumbered away so peacefully. Just his left eye slowly opened and focused on her with surprising speed.

"You're up?" he asked.

Sakura loved his voice right when he woke up. It was a little scratchy and a little too deep. But it was nice to know that this was a sound only she knew about. A greeting just for her. Smiling, she accepted his lingering morning kiss. His stubble tickled her until she giggled and had to pull away.

"It feels too early to be awake," she groaned, pressing her face against the collar of his soft t-shirt. He moved to grab the alarm clock from the nightstand to confirm her statement.

"You're right. Back to sleep," Itachi agreed, setting the clock down and turning back to her. Sakura blinked a couple times. Itachi seemed to consider something before he shifted his arm so she could rest her head on it. Sakura wondered if his arm ever went numb doing such a thing but whenever she asked he would just pretend not to hear her because he was such a perfect gentleman that it was almost annoying.

"Are you hungry?" he inquired in the barely audible whisper he always used in the morning. It was like if they talked too loud, this perfect time would have to end. So she spoke just as softly.

"A little. But it's so cold." She had fallen asleep in just a t-shirt and sweatpants the night before so her exposed arms were a little chilly. Scooting closer to Itachi, she rested her cheek against his chest and felt him put his other arm around her. Their cold feet pressing together under the thick covers, Sakura let out a tiny giggle.

"What's so funny?" asked Itachi against her ear. When he began rubbing his cheek against hers, she tried not to laugh as she pushed his face away. He chuckled, the sound deep in his chest as he rested his chin on top of her head.

"Nothing. I'm just happy," Sakura sighed before she fell back asleep. And just because he could, just because he finally had the free time, Itachi closed his eyes and slept a little longer too.

They woke again around 9. Sunlight slanted in through the blinds, warming Itachi's back and hitting Sakura's eyes until they both stirred. It was so comfortable and snug and there really wasn't much for them to do anyway so they decided lazing around in pajamas for a little while longer would be a fantastic proposition. So Itachi made pancakes, Sakura brewed coffee, and they snuggled up on the sofa together to watch the morning news while they ate. When Sakura stood to begin clearing the dishes away, Itachi caught her by the wrist and tugged her into his lap. They were distracted for a good while and it took another hour for them to finally get the dishes washed and put away.

"The three idiots want to come over for presents tomorrow. Should I tell them to buy something?" inquired Itachi when Sakura came out of the bathroom, fresh from the shower. She made her way to the kitchen, rubbing at her hair with a towel as she thought. Imagining Deidara and Kisame's heartbroken expressions at missing out on a home-cooked meal, Sakura let out a deep breath.

"If they buy the ingredients, I'll make dumplings and miso soup," Sakura relented. As Itachi texted her decision, Sakura leaned across the table to pick up the mail they had forgotten to look through the day before. The sweet smell of her shampoo filled Itachi's nose when he inhaled. The phone was thrown on the table, the letters went scattering, and Itachi threw Sakura over his shoulder to be distracted again.

When it grew dark, they sat on the living room floor, mugs of warm tea cupped in their hands as they watched the city flare up with millions of holiday lights. From the apartment, they had a clear view of the park across the street. Every year, the city put up twinkling white lights in the park's trees, making every plant glisten and glitter. Tucking her knees up against her chest, Sakura dug her toes into the rug.

"Merry Christmas," she suddenly said. Itachi, mug lifted to his mouth, lowered it, and then smiled.

"Merry Christmas," he responded. They slowly finished off their tea to wash down the curry they had made for dinner. Itachi stood to put the mugs in the sink and when he returned, Sakura was pulling a box out from under the sofa. It was wrapped in cheerful red paper covered in snowflakes along with a big green bow. Chuckling, he reached under the other sofa to pull out his own box wrapped with light blue paper decorated with penguins. They slid the presents over to each other.

"Open yours first," Sakura demanded, her eyes glittering with excitement. So Itachi obliged, carefully peeling the edges of the paper apart to reveal a boxed set of DVDs from his favorite television show. He had mentioned how hard it was to find them in Japan a few times so Sakura had gotten her mom to ship them over from the States. Then again, there probably weren't many people in Japan interested in a show about an alien running around in some blue wooden box.

"Yours?" prompted Itachi when he saw that she hadn't touched her present yet. It was a little on the small side. Sakura felt herself frowning a little. She hoped he hadn't bought her jewelry again. It wasn't that she ever disliked any jewelry he bought her. Sakura just hoped he wasn't spending too much money on her. To her delight, when she opened it up, what met her was a set of white headphones with bright circles of red on either side. Then her eyes narrowed.

"This looks expensive," she began. But Itachi reached over to tweak her nose.

"They were on sale. And I bribed my friend into giving me his employee discount," Itachi countered easily. He had obviously thought out his argument beforehand.

"Really?"

"Really."

"I'm very proud of you," Sakura declared, scooting over to drop herself into his lap.

So Christmas passed, warm and quiet.

The day after Christmas, however, was just as loud and ridiculous as one would expect when Deidara and Kisame were involved. Deidara and Sasori arrived bright and early at 8 in the morning, ringing the doorbell until Sakura, hair mussed and eyes barely open regarded them with a sour expression. They waved, Deidara stepping forward for a hug. She promptly closed the door on their faces, and climbed back into bed where Itachi patted her head on a job well done. Only when Deidara yelled that he had brought coffee and donuts did they let them inside. Deidara and Sasori seemed perfectly happy to sit in the kitchen while Sakura showered (pushing Itachi out of the bathroom when he suggested they shower together to save time) and dressed.

"We got the groceries for you, My-chan. We didn't know if you wanted minced garlic or whole so we bought both, yeah," Deidara announced when Sakura entered the kitchen. As she tied her damp hair up into a bun, Sasori took the ingredients out of the plastic bags and laid them out on the kitchen counter for her to inspect. Though the wonton skins were the wrong brand and the scallions were a little droopier than she would have chosen, everything seemed fine. Rolling up the sleeves of her dark blue sweater she turned the cold water on in the sink to begin scrubbing the Napa cabbage free of dirt.

Itachi joined them a few minutes later, hovering over Sakura's shoulder until, sighing, she handed him a bulb of garlic to peel. When Deidara and Sasori tried to offer help, she gave them both a stern look and sent them to watch TV in the living room. The last time they had tried to cook, they had put pickled eggs and mustard in ramen along with generous handfuls of hot peppers ("For flavor, yeah!" Deidara had defended himself as Kisame, mouth burning, tried to strangle him.). Needless to say, Sakura had effectively banned them from the kitchen. Forever.

Kisame arrived a couple hours later with a roll cake and a big smile. He laughed at how early the other two had shown up, winking and elbowing Itachi as he asked if they had interrupted something until Sakura scowled at him until he apologized and hugged her. Kisame then tried to hug Itachi too and ended up with a clove of garlic lodged in his left nostril.

Dinner was loud and a little hectic. Everyone scarfed down the crispy dumplings still glistening with oil from the frying pan. As usual, Deidara and Kisame locked themselves into another furious eating contest that ended because they burned their mouths on the extremely hot dumplings. And Sakura was smiling, smiling and smiling until Sasori suddenly pulled her aside when she stood to get more soy sauce.

"What's wrong?" Sasori demanded in a low voice, pulling her toward the refrigerator.

"What do you mean?" asked Sakura, her smile fading for the first time that day.

"You look like you're about to cry," he said. Deidara and Kisame's voices abruptly faded and all eyes drifted to her. Sakura swallowed thickly. It had just been a tiny voice nagging at the corner of her mind. So tiny that it was easy to quash it down with louder laughter, with brighter grins.

"My-chan, what's wrong, yeah?" inquired Deidara. He put his chopsticks down, eyes wide with concern.

"My dad… he asked if I wanted to study abroad… in New York," Sakura finally breathed out. There was a very long pause.

"Well, the study abroad program at KU's pretty good. And that's free housing right there," Kisame finally said.

"But that would mean this might be my last Christmas with everyone," Sakura blurted out.

"What," said Sasori with a dead expression.

Bursting into loud laughter, Deidara hurried over to throw his arms around her.

"Stupid, My-chan. It'd only be for one year, yeah," he reminded her with a grin. Sakura shook her head.

"Everyone will have graduated. We'd all be spread out. It wouldn't be the same," she croaked, feeling hot tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

"Probably not, Sakura-chan. How about we promise to meet up for the Christmas after that, and the one after that until you get sick of seeing our faces?" Sasori suggested, crouching to peer up at her past Deidara's arms. At this, Sakura nodded furiously, face bright red from trying her best not to cry.

"Every Christmas, every single one until we're all wrinkly and grumpy and smell like old people," Kisame chimed in with a bright smile.

And Sakura cried and cried while Deidara laughed and Sasori watched her an expression of simultaneous relief and frustration.

Watching from the kitchen table, Kisame nudged Itachi's shoulder.

"Best Christmas present ever," he commented. Rolling his eyes, Itachi didn't reply.

* * *

Okonomiyaki* is sort of like a scallion pancake. But they put shredded cabbage and meat and vegetables and sometimes they even grill it for you depending on the restaurant.

Thanks for reading despite the long time it's taken me to update. Please leave reviews to let me know what you think!


	24. Wired Weird

Gasp! An update less than a year after the last one? I actually had this done last Friday but then the hurricane hit and power went out and we were evacuated and it was all just hell on toast. So instead of making everyone wait until this Friday, I figured I'd just post this a little early.

Enjoy!

* * *

Fancy Footwork

Chapter 24: Wired Weird

The holiday season passed too quickly, in Sakura's opinion.

New Year's Eve she refused, yet again, to let Deidara and Sasori talk her into wearing a kimono. No amount of promising chocolate and free food and hugs and other bribes could sway her. Itachi walked in on Deidara lying on the floor and hugging Sakura's legs as he begged her one last time to at least try on **some **sort of kimono.

"It is -1 degrees Celsius outside, Dei-chan. No," Sakura firmly said. Not even asking for an explanation, Itachi watched as Deiara's arms relaxed and he melted into a puddle of very unhappy blond. Sasori, who had given up several minutes ago, walked over to push Deidara across the floor with his foot. And Deidara rolled along like a pouting tumbleweed.

Instead, Sakura decided to dress in layers because it really was very cold outside and it had been snowing on and off for the past few weeks. It was just light enough that the city didn't have too much trouble running snowplows in the morning to clear the streets for the morning commute but it also meant that the weather was never warm enough for the snow to actually start melting. After late dinner of soba and a short nap sitting side by side on the sofa, Itachi and Sakura woke to meet up with everyone at the Shinto shrine. It would be crowded so they had made plans to meet up a little bit early.

"Do you think I should call my parents?" inquired Sakura as she shed her sweatshirt and t-shirt underneath. Itachi, standing in front of the closet to pick out his outfit, turned around completely to look at her. At first he looked very serious as he considered her words. And then, predictably, she saw his gaze drift downwards until she lobbed her clothes at him.

"Focus!" she insisted. Laughing, Itachi tossed her clothes in the laundry basket.

"You're the one being distracting," Itachi defended himself. Scoffing loudly, Sakura snatched a white camisole out of the dresser and yanked it on.

"Sorry. I don't know. If you feel comfortable enough, I guess you should. This is a family holiday after all," he tried to say seriously. Sticking her lips out in a pout, Sakura turned around to find her dark blue sweater. The thick waffle weave was soft against her skin as she pulled her arms through the sleeves. Before she could pull the rest over her head, she felt Itachi's arms around her waist.

"Are you mad? Don't be mad," he whispered, voice all husky and deep in the way **he knew** she could never ignore.

"But my dad already has his family," Sakura pointed out.

"You're his family too," Itachi assured her. He pressed a kiss to her right shoulder before he released her to get dressed. Sakura pulled the rest of the sweater on and then joined Itachi to stare into their shared closet. Leaning against him, Sakura reached out to grasp the sleeve of a black and gray striped cardigan.

"That one?"

"Yeah."

Fully dressed (and armed against the cold with pocket warmers), they walked to the shrine at the south side of Konoha. It was a somewhat winding road and it took them almost 45 minutes to get there on foot. But the snow was so pretty and the ice-covered trees looked like fairytale sculptures so neither of them could really complain. Hand in hand, they arrived at the only Shinto shrine in the city. There were already people wandering the wooden stalls, looking at the various fortunes and amulets on sale. The Buddhist temple located at the very east edge of Konoha had begun ringing its traditional 108 peals to usher in the new year. The distant echo of each strike reverberated through the crisp air. Fragrant incense burned, blue-gray smoke curling lazily into the air.

"Hey! There you are, yeah!" Deidara exclaimed as he ran up to them. His hands were crammed firmly into his pockets as he shivered. Cheeks red from the cold and knit cap crammed over his head, Deidara looked like an excited child. Snickering, Itachi and Sakura each offered him a pocket warmer. When he asked if they wouldn't be cold, they smirked and smugly took hold of each other's hands to compensate for the loss of heat. Sasori wandered over to them a moment later followed by Kisame.

They chatted a little before it was finally midnight and people shuffled forward to get as close to the shrine as they could. When it was their turn, they tossed in coins, clapped their hands, and offered their prayers. At Kisame's insistence, they went to buy fortunes from one of the shrine maidens.

"Great curse," Deidara read with visible horror.

"That's definitely self-inflicted, Deidara. Why don't you settle down and get a real girlfriend? Itachi-sama here looks supremely happy now that he has one," Kisame snickered, pointing at Itachi who just shrugged.

"No way, man. And break the hearts of all the ladies that need them some Deidara?" Deidara scoffed.

"Don't dirty this new year with your hedonistic lifestyle," Sasori sighed as he accepted his fortune.

"Half-blessing," Sasori read out loud.

"Apparently I'll achieve inner peace," Kisame stated, staring down at his paper.

"Sakkun, if you were any more peaceful, you'd become a monk yourself," Sakura giggled as she watched him tie his slip of paper onto the branches of a large tree set up next to the stall.

"Probably true. What's yours say, Kitten?" asked Kisame.

"…Future blessing."

"Future curse," Itachi added his own fortune.

Kisame and Deidara exchanged glances.

"Looks like My-chan's going to get herself a hot American boyfriend and dump this useless guy. What a shame, yeah," Deidara clucked his tongue like an old woman.

"Or maybe she'll be swept away by a Hollywood star and ditch Itachi," Kisame conjectured, rubbing at his chin.

"Away from the morons, friends. Let's get something to drink," Sasori flatly said, putting his hands on Sakura's shoulders. So Itachi, Sasori and Sakura ditched the snickering duo to drink the hot sake offered at another stall. Kisame and Deidara, once they caught up, were dissatisfied with the meager cups given to them and insisted on cracking open several beers when they made it back to Itachi's apartment. ("The Uchiha love nest, stuuuuupid," Deidara drawled out after a few cans. Sasori shoved him off the sofa with his foot because his head was getting in the way of the movie they were watching.) They feasted on sticky rice cakes and chips before dozing off a little after watching the first dawn of the year. Though Sakura and Itachi woke up on the sofa and Deidara and Kisame found themselves spooning on the floor, Sasori (yet again) spent the night in the bathtub.

"It was cold, My-chan! COLD!" Deidara insisted even though nobody had even said anything about his sleeping arrangement.

"Shut up, Deidara," Kisame sighed, nursing his headache with a couple aspirin.

"Saso-kun, why not take the other sofa?" Sakura asked over late breakfast with lots of coffee for hungover Kisame and Deidara. Sasori raised his eyebrow at her.

"No. Bathtub is good," he simply responded.

Eyeing each other with confusion, everyone else simply shrugged and accepted that they would never understand Sasori fully.

"COLD!" Deidara yelled. Sasori smacked him in the back of the head with the morning newspaper.

That afternoon, after Sasori and the groaning two had gone home, Sakura and Itachi headed to the Uchiha house for dinner.

"Didn't see you for Christmas," Sasuke grunted in greeting when he joined them in the kitchen. Sakura looked up from the sweet-smelling yuzu* she had been peeling. Since she had no free hands, she simply waved the fruit at him before getting back to work.

"Oh, silly Sasu-chan! We can't interrupt the happy couple's lovey-dovey time!" Mikoto responded with a smile while chopping up spinach. Itachi choked on the water he had been drinking and Sakura bit back a laugh at the slightly disgusted expression that spread across Sasuke's face. They ate a dinner of Mikoto's best zoni* brimming with vegetables and chunks of fish and grilled mochi.

After eating, they exchanged late Christmas presents and ate Sakura's chocolate mousse with sighs of approval. Though Sasuke looked reluctant to try, Sakura had prepared a separate serving with unsweetened dark chocolate and Sasuke seemed to like it enough to finish the whole thing.

"How are you doing, honey?" Mikoto suddenly asked as she and Sakura stood at the sink to wash dishes. Itachi had offered to help but he had quickly been shooed off to join Sasuke and Fugaku watching TV.

"How am I?" repeated Sakura a little unsurely. Handing her a plate, Mikoto frowned.

"With everything that's happened with your family, sweetheart. Are you alright?" Mikoto clarified.

"I'm fine, Mikoto-san. Nothing's really changed," Sakura laughed it off. But Mikoto's expression remained unchanged.

"Itachi-kun told me you're considering going abroad next year."

Sakura didn't say anything. She slowly wiped the plate dry before placing it in the cabinet.

"Whatever you choose, Sakura-chan, know that you'll always have a place here," Mikoto said softly. Startled, Sakura turned to look at the older woman in the face. Mikoto smiled, all motherly and warm and gentle and suddenly Sakura wished, for a short but blindingly desperate moment, that Mikoto could have been her mother instead. But it passed quickly and all Sakura could do was smile as she blinked back tears.

"Thank you, Mikoto-san," Sakura replied. Looking a little glassy-eyed too, Mikoto blinked rapidly.

"I would hug you but…" Mikoto trailed off, gesturing to her soapy hands. Laughing, they finished off the dishes together and hugged only when both their hands were clean and dry.

Later, back at the apartment, as Itachi stood in the bathroom brushing his teeth, Sakura finally dialed her mother's number.

"Happy New Year's, mom," Sakura simply said when Kirie picked up. She could hear faint music in the background.

"Well, it's technically not New Year's for me anymore. But it is for you," added Sakura as she looked up at the clock. Kirie burst out laughing.

"How are you? Still studying?" asked Kirie. Sakura could hear the clink of a spoon against the side of a cup. Of course. It was morning in California. She knew she had inherited her mother's love of coffee. Probably not the best quality to have inherited but it was somehow reassuring to know that even separated by so many time zones, they still at least had the same addiction to caffeine.

"Obviously. You making lots of money?" Sakura teased just a little.

Sakura didn't call her dad though. She had sent him a customary holiday card but she just didn't know what to say. She didn't know if she'd be able to listen to his new family's babble in the background as she tried to come up with the right things to say to him. Would she ask how they were? Part of her was a little ashamed for being unable to call him. Itachi took one look at the expression on her face as she looked at the phone in her hand and he pulled her in for a minty kiss.

"You did your best. You can try again next year," was all he said. And Sakura hugged him because she didn't know what to say in response to something so perfect and comforting like that.

A few days later, Sakura set her studies aside for a rare break and walked to the KU campus. The entire place was still deserted for winter break. But Sakura didn't mind as she crunched her way through the snow until she found herself at the art studio. There was a single white car in the parking lot that she almost would have missed under the thick layer of snow. Huffing against the cold, Sakura hurried into the building and climbed the stairs up to the second floor where she could hear humming.

"Senpai?" Sakura called as she carefully slid the door open. Konan stood with her back to her. Her hair, as always, was pulled back into a bun and she was wearing a smock over her regular clothes. This time, however, it was smeared not with clay or dust but with paint. Blue paint, to be specific. The canvas in front of her was a blurred mixture of different shades of blues and some dashes of purples and greens.

"What's this one called?" Sakura inquired as she sat on one of the wooden stools scattered around the large room.

"I have no idea. Did you have a fight with the boyfriend? What are you doing here during your cozy holiday?" Konan responded, glancing over her shoulder to arch an eyebrow.

"I can't come visit my friend? And what about you, senpai? Why are you cooped up in here instead of being with **your** boyfriend?" Sakura responded. Konan, palette in one hand and brush in the other, spun around to look at her.

"Someone's gotten sassy. Nagato's doing research for his thesis. Graduate students have it tough. And I need to finish this up if I want to graduate in the spring," Konan responded with a wry smile.

"By the way, senpai. Why does everyone call him Pein but you call him Nagato?" Sakura asked as Konan turned back to her work. There was a pause as Konan dabbed her brush between two colors to blend them together.

"Hm… that? I think when we finally got taken in by our current foster family, he wanted to leave behind that name associated with the orphanage. But I guess I'll never get used to people calling him anything other than Nagato."

Konan was quiet for a bit and then, as she cleaned her brush, she looked back again.

"Is something troubling you?" The brush swished through water and then Konan wiped it dry on the edge of a rag. Sakura watched her graceful hands, the soft strokes of the brush. Whenever Konan reached up to move her bangs out of her face, it was an elegant motion. Everything about Konan was fluid. Even her dance. Even her art.

"If… If during school, you had a chance to study abroad, would you have taken it?" Sakura queried.

"Sure," Konan simply responded without thinking.

"But you have Pein-san. And your friends. And everything's here. In Konoha," said Sakura. Konan turned around to flick a few drops of water at her.

"But that's such an amazing opportunity. Going to Italy to study art? Or maybe France? Where some of the finest art in history was created? If could have, I would have gone."

Sakura fiddled with the edge of her coat before she spoke again.

"Wouldn't you miss him? You wouldn't feel lonely without him and your friends?" she asked in a much smaller voice.

"I would… I really would," Konan replied slowly.

"But I would hate myself for missing that chance if I couldn't take it because I was afraid. You'll meet new friends. It won't be lonely," she added. Sakura raised her chin and watched Konan dip her brush in black. Horrified, Sakura watched as Konan slashed across the beautiful collage of azure in broad strokes. The ugly black stain in the middle of the canvas just stared at her. Looking proud, Konan looked over her shoulder.

"If you're too afraid to start from scratch, you'll never get anything done."

And Sakura watched as Konan scrapped a week of careful painting to start over again.

Then, winter break was gone and Sakura found herself waking up early to get ready for school one Monday morning.

She had let Kisame know that she wouldn't get joining him for the usual morning run for the time being. Every spare moment she had was devoted to studying. Entrance exams were in less than three weeks and it seemed like 24 hours in one day just wasn't enough to get everything done. Sakura scarfed down a quick breakfast, leaving Itachi's portion covered in plastic wrap before she dressed and hurried off to catch the train. He would have gladly given her a ride if she had asked but she simply kissed him goodbye and let him get an extra hour of sleep before his first lecture. If she was going to be a sleepy zombie, he might as well get the rest she couldn't.

Sakura read on the train, music plugged firmly into her ears the entire ride. Even as she walked from her stop to school, her eyes barely left her notes and highlights in the margins of the text. People greeted her as she walked through the front gate and she responded absentmindedly, mostly not enough paying attention to who she was talking to. It was only until someone threw his arm around her in a tight hug that she tore her eyes away from her studies. And of course, it was Naruto grinning and laughing so early in the morning.

"Hey Naruto," Sakura said before she looked over and found Hinata walking on Naruto's left. Easily wriggling out of Naruto's grasp, Sakura hugged Hinata. She hadn't had any time to talk to Hinata during winter break. Hinata had been in Switzerland with her family on vacation and though she had a pleasant tan to testify to her days of skiing, Hinata had been virtually isolated from all of her friends. Laughing and exchanging the latest news, they walked right into Ino who squealed with delight and grabbed them both to show off her first Christmas present from Shikamaru.

"You're looking slightly less than dead," Sai greeted her with a smile when Sakura finally made it to the classroom. Behind her, Ino was shoving her shiny new bracelet into Sasuke's face until he looked ready to throw himself out the nearest window. Hinata tittered beside them, not quite kind enough to stop Ino from harassing Sasuke until a full minute later. Rolling her eyes and ignoring the commotion just outside the room, Sakura bumped her fist against his and sunk down into her seat to get more reading done before class started.

An odd thought occurred to her as she flipped a page. Just to check, Sakura looked up and confirmed that Sasuke had grabbed a chair from a nearby desk and pulled it up next to her. Though he was facing in the opposite direction to talk to Naruto, he was still keeping her company in his own odd way. Sai seemed happy enough sketching (as usual) and Hinata, timid little Hinata who never had any friends, was chatting away with Naruto and Sasuke. Ino leaned against Hinata's left shoulder to join the conversation, smiling and laughing with Naruto who pointed at Sasuke. It was a little loud and Sasuke would undoubtedly go back to his own class late for first period but Sakura realized that this was what had become normal.

Suddenly putting her book down, Sakura twisted around to face their friends.

"Hm? What's wrong, Forehead? You've decided to give up your pursuit for higher education to join the dark side?" asked Ino with a teasing leer.

"Don't be ridiculous, Yamanaka. Sakura would never fall to the ranks of you two underachievers," Sasuke snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. Ino and Naruto exchanged looks of outrage.

"Oh, Mr. I'm-going-to-college-in-America. Just because you've sent your stupid applications doesn't mean you're better than us! And you might not even get accepted!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Yeah. I'm studying too. I'm just not aiming for a ridiculous school like Sakura. And Naruto's going to become rich and famous with his ramen restaurant!" Ino chimed in.

"Thank you, Ino!"

"You're welcome!"

"Stupid," Sasuke muttered. Sticking a finger in his ear to block out Ino and Naruto's voices, Sasuke turned toward Sakura.

"When…did we all become friends, Sasuke-kun?" asked Sakura in a quiet voice so only he would hear. Sasuke raised his eyebrows as he looked back at their group.

It was certainly true that at the beginning of high school, no one could have foreseen this odd accumulation of people. The captains of the basketball club, gossip queen, mild-mannered heiress, socially-stunted artist, and student council president. At some point, they had all gathered together. They had become friends without even trying. And according to Sasori, that was the only real way to make friends.

"Except for Deidara. He plans to make friends with certain people and it's weird but it works," added Sasori with the beginnings of a frown tugging down at his mouth.

"Idiot," Sasuke simply said.

"What?" demanded Sakura. Sasuke stared at her like he had gotten the answer right on a test that she had gotten wrong.

"This is all your fault. You're the reason all these morons are stuck to each other. And stuck to me. You're the linchpin," Sasuke stated as if it was the most obvious fact in the world.

"Me?" Sakura pointed at herself. What had she done? All she had done was get mad at Ino and start talking to Hinata…. And make up with Naruto… and yell at Sasuke…

Sakura looked at her friends one more time before regarding Sasuke's smug expression.

"Idiot," Sasuke stated again.

"Shut up, Baby Sasu-chan," Sakura muttered before she picked up her book again. She smiled when Sasuke scowled at the hated name. And her friends- their friends continued blabbing away in the background.

* * *

The smell of coffee hung in the air. But not in the soft, lazy way that it usually did on a Saturday morning. Itachi's eyes cracked open slowly to an empty space against his side where there was usually a soft body curled up. He ran his hand down the spot and found the sheets cold. She had been gone for quite some time then. Squinting against the soft sunlight slanting in through the window, he craned his neck to check the time.

8:03.

It was barely past eight in the morning and he couldn't believe Sakura was awake already. He knew she had at least slept a couple hours because they had gone to sleep a little before midnight and he had woken up around 2 to go to the bathroom. Sakura, all dark circles and exhaustion, had snuggled up against him, a little clingier than usual. He certainly wasn't complaining.

Cracking a wide yawn, Itachi reluctantly sat up and stretched. Still bleary-eyed, he climbed down from the loft and opened the door to shuffle into the kitchen. It took a little searching but he finally located Sakura behind a large stack of books on the kitchen table. Sakura had a calculus textbook propped up in front of her. Her chin rested against the tabletop as she read, barely blinking. In fact, it looked as if she was barely breathing. Sighing, Itachi pressed a kiss to the top of her head and grabbed her empty mug as he walked past. Refilling Sakura's cup and pouring one for himself, Itachi settled in the chair next to her.

"What time did you get up?" asked Itachi. Sakura slowly sat up to pour sugar and milk into her coffee before taking a big gulp.

"6," Sakura muttered. She eyed her cup before letting her head fall back on the table.

"You know, I do this a lot before my exams too so I'm probably not the best person to give you advice, but you should give yourself a break. It wouldn't be a good idea to push yourself until you get sick," Itachi pointed out, propping his chin up in his hand to watch her. Sakura laughed weakly as she lifted her head to look at him.

"I appreciate the advice but you know I'm not even going to try to follow it. Do you have plans for today?" asked Sakura, interrupting herself with a large yawn. As she sipped at her coffee, she watched Itachi. He just shrugged.

"I think I'll just relax at home. Maybe help you a little?" Itachi suggested. Sakura tried not to roll her eyes when she knew perfectly well that she would let him nowhere near her work. His ability to work out integrals so quickly had to be inhuman and she preferred to know what she was doing instead of having answers spat out at her.

And it was decided that they spent the entire day at home. Still in her pajamas, Sakura pored through textbooks and wrote out rings and rings of flashcards. She only bothered to eat because Itachi pestered her and even then it definitely wasn't enough to satisfy him. But Sakura barely noticed and if she did all she did was get up to get more water or coffee and give him a little kiss to pacify him for a little bit on the way. Itachi lounged on the sofa with one foot on the ground and one on the armrest. Sakura occupied the other couch, blazing through books and swallowing down information. Konoha University wasn't one of the top colleges in the country without reason. She had gone through enough mock exams and materials to understand that even with the best grades in high school, no one could pass without some serious studying. In the middle of a sentence, Sakura suddenly looked up. When the steady scratch of her pencil stopped, Itachi looked up too.

"I understand you and Saso-kun. But how the heck did Deidara and Kisame get in to your school?" Sakura suddenly demanded. It wasn't that she thought her two friends were stupid. It was just that she had witnessed both their study habits. Kisame generally half-assed his way through most things before buckling down to cram just before big tests. And Deidara spent about half his time procrastinating before really starting anything. At this, Itachi let out a big huff of a sigh.

"Well, I helped Kisame study so that solves that mystery. As for Deidara, when he really studies, he just memorizes everything and forgets it as soon as he's done with the test," explained Itachi. Sakura scowled.

"Stupid Dei-chan and his weird talents," she muttered before looking back at her work.

Haruno Sakura was in a strange state between life and death for the next three weeks. She was still as polite and nice to most people as she usually was. In class, she was still the star student answering questions and charming teachers. But in between classes and during lunch, the personality drained out of her. As soon as a teacher left the room, her forehead made contact with the desk and her friends struggled to figure out whether she was sleeping or whether she had simply passed out.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, don't you think you're going too hard on yourself? Are you even sleeping?" Hinata asked as they pushed their desks together as usual for lunch. Sakura grunted in response. Even when Ino poked her in the stomach, (a very ticklish spot) Sakura only swatted at her once before letting her arm fall back down. When Sasuke arrived a couple minutes later with his usual lunch packed by his mom, he arched an eyebrow at Sakura and then looked questioningly at Naruto.

"We don't think she's dead yet," Naruto responded around a mouthful of rice. Settling in the usual chair to the left of Sakura, Sasuke put his palm against her forehead to lift her head off the desk. Slowly, Sakura's eyes opened and they focused on Sasuke to glare half-heartedly.

"Okay. You're working hard," he sighed. Sasuke carefully lowered her head back onto the desk and let her nap in peace. Sakura snoozed for most of lunch before waking to quickly scarf down her food while reading through one of her rings of flashcards she had stashed inside her schoolbag. Naruto stared on in mute horror. Even after over a decade of friendship, he could neither accept nor understand Sakura's devotion to studying. As if sensing his terror, Hinata squeezed Naruto's hand and quietly diverted his attention with some small talk.

Student council meetings after school were exhausting. It was nice that her underclassmen were competent enough that Sakura could delegate a lot of the work to them. Shino had stopped showing up altogether after Sakura had forbidden him from napping on the couch. In essence, all that was left were members that actually detracted from the workload.

"Kaichou, what should I do with these?" Inari asked, approaching Sakura's desk with a stack of flyers that needed to be handed out in homeroom the next day. When her chair didn't turn, Inari paused and then tried to ask the question again. He was stopped by Moegi's hand on his shoulder. Shaking her head emphatically, she led him around the desk. Sakura sat in the chair facing the window. Flashcards clenched in her hand, she silently recited formulas and facts and dates, running them through her head over and over until they were burned firmly into her memory.

"Is she alright?" Inari hissed, eyes widening.

"She's not really awake or asleep. Just leave her. I'll take these," Moegi whispered back with a sheepish smile. She had witnessed the president's study habits enough before midterms and finals to know that there was no point trying to communicate with her. So because of Moegi, the student council did not collapse during January when the president was rendered into a vengeful ghost of studying.

"Hey, do you remember if stuff like this will be on the exam?" Sakura inquired, crossing the room to where Sasori was sitting with his back up against the mirrors. He lifted customarily sleepy eyes to the book she held out to him. Sasori held out his hand to take the text and Sakura sat down cross-legged next to him.

Lying on the floor in the middle of the studio, Deidara whacked Itachi's knee to get his attention.

"Sakura looks kind of dead, yeah," Deidara noted. It wasn't accusatory or angry. They had both taken the same test Sakura was preparing frantically for. It wasn't like they didn't understand.

"Yeah. I told her she could take a break from this so she could focus more on studying. She told me not to be stupid," Itachi replied with obvious exasperation. They both chuckled. Back from the bathroom upstairs, Kisame settled down between them.

"Has she said anything about America yet?" Kisame asked in a low voice that wouldn't travel. Deidara's azure eyes blazing with curiosity flickered to Itachi.

"Not really. I mean she has pamphlets about our school's study abroad program around the apartment but that's really it. I think she's trying to focus more on actually getting accepted to school first," responded Itachi just as quietly. A suddenly heavy air settled over them. Each of them could tell just from short glances that none of them really wanted Sakura to leave. She was a tiny person filled with so much anger and laughter and excitement. Everything would be too quiet and all wrong without her. But they watched Sakura's eyes widen as Sasori explained something to her. Her lips formed words. She leaned over to point at something else and asked a question with obvious curiosity.

They all knew it would be impossible to stop her if she really wanted to leave.

Itachi put his head in his hands and Deidara reached over to pat him on the back because no one would understand Itachi better when it came to his unusual girlfriend than his two best friends sitting next to him.

Another week passed. Dark circles. And all the coffee coffee coffee **coffee **in the world didn't seem to be enough. The stuff must have been running through her veins instead of blood by now. She was so sick of all the thinking and memorizing and highlighting but it had been her decision to try for KU and she wasn't one to give up so easily. As soon as they walked into the apartment every day, Sakura would tie her bangs up to keep them out of her eyes, change into a sweatshirt and leggings for maximum comfort, and dive into her piles and piles of notes.

Precisely two weeks before the dreaded entrance exam, Sakura woke up from what was supposed to have been a tiny power nap. Rubbing her eyes, she swiveled around to look at the clock. She had passed out sometime before 5 am and now it was almost noon. Sakura grumbled as she ripped off the post-it notes that had adhered themselves to her arms as she slept. Thankfully she had pinned her bangs up and yanked the rest of her hair back into a short ponytail so there was nothing hanging in her face to irritate her first thing in the morning. Huffing out a loud sigh, she cracked her neck and stood to go make a cup of coffee. As she rose on her tiptoes to get a new coffee filter out of the cabinet, Sakura caught sight of a light blue post-it left on the refrigerator door.

_I tried to carry you to bed this morning but you opened your eyes and told me to go die so I'll assume you're planning to get more reading done. I need to work on a group project for school so I'll be at the university library if you need me. Don't forget to eat. And please don't forget to breathe._

Reading Itachi's easily-recognizable handwriting, Sakura popped a new filter into the coffeemaker and measured out the right amount of pre-ground beans. Pouring water into the back, she hit a couple buttons and leaned against the counter to wait. She read over Itachi's note one more time before she leaned over to tuck it between the pages of her planner sitting on the table. The glorious aroma of coffee spread through the apartment like a healing balm. Inhaling deeply, Sakura pushed off the counter to hunt for her favorite mug. It was white with a picture of a blue kitten reading a book. Needless to say, when she had spotted it in the pawn shop, Sakura had squealed and fussed over it so much that while she searched for her wallet, Deidara quietly snuck up to the register to buy it for her.

"Because that's what Dei-chan does for a My-chan, yeah," he declared while proudly holding the bagged mug out to her. Not even bothering to scold him for spoiling her all the time, Sakura threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly with the explanation: "Then this is what Sakura does for her Dei-chan."

Smiling as she remembered its origins, Sakura set the mug down on the counter. A minute later, there was beautiful, wonderful, amazing coffee steaming away in the cup and Sakura was pouring in just the right amount of sugar and milk. Bringing the perfect mixture to her lips, Sakura was about to take a sip when the doorbell rang. She considered ignoring it in favor of caffeine but it rang again.

"Coming," she called just a little grumpily. Shoving her feet into slippers, Sakura shuffled to the door with the coffee still held in her left hand. Expecting a delivery man or maybe an annoying solicitor, Sakura didn't bother to try to look awake or alive when she pushed the door open.

"Yes?" Sakura grumbled, eyes barely opened. It took entirely too long for her stare to focus enough for her to realize that it was Uchiha Mikoto standing at the door. Mikoto, dark hair perfectly shiny. Mikoto, flawless make-up and well-dressed in her dark coat and purple skirt and adorable boots and white cloche hat. Sakura, slovenly and angry-looking in the same frumpy clothes she had worn for days just gaped. So horrified, Sakura didn't even know what to say until Mikoto's surprised expression morphed into a smile. While Sakura stood frozen, Mikoto ducked under her arm to enter the apartment.

"Um… Mikoto-san?" Sakura finally managed to say as she shut the door. Mikoto was already in the kitchen, eyes skimming right over the mess of paper and books at the table like it wasn't even there.

"Oh, coffee. I'll pour myself a cup. How've you been, sweetheart?" Mikoto chattered away happily, sweeping around like some good fairy.

"I'm sorry," Sakura suddenly said. Mikoto froze. Eyes wide with concern, she turned to look at her.

"What for, dear?" asked Mikoto in the warm, tender voice that coaxed even surly Sasuke to do his chores properly.

"I'm so unsightly right now. And this whole place is filthy," Sakura groaned, rubbing at her face with her hands. There was a pause and then Mikoto burst out in startled laughter.

"Don't worry. I remember being a student. I just brought some food because Sasu-chan mentioned how tired you've been. You like chahan*, right?" responded Mikoto, flapping her hand.

It turned out that Sakura's hunger won over her mortification.

Later that afternoon, Itachi returned home with Deidara and Kisame in tow. Though Deidara claimed that he was inviting himself over to help Sakura study, he suspected that the blonde was more interested in annoying him than anything else. Sighing and rolling his eyes a bunch of times, Itachi opened the door and let his friends follow him into his apartment.

Sakura sat on the kitchen counter, legs swinging freely as she recited a bunch of dates and events in chronological order. Halfway through the list, the door opened and Itachi walked in, stamping a little to get the snow out of the soles of his shoes. Deidara pranced in after him followed by Kisame who held up a bag of what were undoubtedly fresh pork buns because Kisame always knew what food to bring to any event. Smiling, Sakura finished off the list and looked expectantly toward Sasuke sitting at the coffee table in the living room. Not looking up, Sasuke gave her the thumbs up and flipped to the next page of her notes.

"How many cups is that today?" inquired Itachi as he walked over to kiss her in greeting.

"Eight. I can't sit still," Sakura quipped back in a very cheerful tone. Itachi looked down at her legs still swinging back and forth and simply arched an eyebrow.

"Hey, little brother. You staying for dinner?" Itachi asked, turning toward Sasuke.

"Probably. I think mom and dad are going out to dinner with some friends," Sasuke responded. When he raised his head, his dark eyes locked on to Deidara and Kisame hanging their coats up.

"Oh, Baby Sasu-chan is eating with us? Can he eat big-boy food now?"

"Maybe we should heat up his bottle for him, yeah." As Deidara and Kisame launched into their usual methods of torment, Sasuke fixed his wide eyes on her, pleading so desperately without words that Sakura almost wanted to hug him. How much trauma they had actually inflicted on Sasuke would forever remain a mystery but Sakura could easily guess that it had to be severe if proud Uchiha Sasuke was begging for her help. She let out a loud sigh.

"Sakkun. Dei-chan," Sakura simply said in a warning.

"But My-chan! It's too fun, yeah!" Deidara whined. Kisame nodded furiously beside him. Crossing her arms over her chest, Sakura fixed them with a stern look.

"You two be nice to Sasuke-kun or I'll never invite you over for dinner ever again," Sakura threatened them.

"Ha! You'd never do that! You love us too much," Kisame immediately called her bluff.

"I'll never make you those French toast, bacon, and scrambled egg sandwiches again," Sakura insisted. Kisame let out a high-pitched gasp.

"And Dei-chan, I'll revert to wearing those baggy clothes with unfashionable patterns and I'll start wearing TURTLENECK SWEATERS!" she continued. It was Deidara's turn to gasp. But instead of gasping, he let out what sounded more like a womanly shriek. Like a child, Deidara actually stamped his foot, shaking Kisame's arm until they both seemed to realize that they were powerless against the deceptively sweet and gentle girl staring them down.

So, grumbling and glowering, they ceased their harassment of the younger Uchiha brother if only for the night. Munching on the steamed buns, they delved into what was one of Sakura's insane study sessions. Itachi sat at the coffee table to do his own work while Kisame settled to his right to grab some more buns while everyone was busy eating.

"So, My-chan, the molecules bond this way and create this compound," Deidara proudly concluded. Sakura stared intently at the page in the textbook before leaning back in the wooden chair with a groan.

"How am I supposed to memorize all this? This is stupid. I'm stupid," she huffed.

"You'll be fine, yeah," assured Deidara, patting her once on the back.

"I won't be, Dei-chan. What if I fail and can't get a job and Itachi-kun breaks up with me for being a useless bum?" Sakura suddenly exclaimed, running her hands through her hair like a crazy person. Launching himself out of his seat, Deidara pointed an accusatory finger at Itachi still focusing calmly on his book.

"How dare you treat Sakura-chan like that, Itachi! You bastard, yeah!" Deidara shouted.

Kisame froze mid-chew. Itachi looked as serene as ever. And Sasuke sat to his left, forehead furrowed.

"You guys are dumb. I'm going home," Sasuke snorted after a moment.

And Sakura gulped down her ninth cup of coffee.

* * *

One night, after school and after dance and after dinner, Sakura got up to take a short walk around the apartment to stretch her muscles. Her eyes drifted to the calendar hanging next to the refrigerator. January 27th was circled in red. Like she could ever forget what day the exam was on. Other days had writing either in Itachi's neat slant or her looping script. Birthdays and days for garbage pick-up were all marked down into the little boxes. But the numbers reminded her of something else. Sakura took a moment to count back the days, to try to remember the dates.

"Oh," Sakura said out loud.

"What's wrong?" asked Itachi. He was sitting at the kitchen table with his laptop. Apparently he had a report due in a few days and he was making some good progress based on his leisurely typing. Sakura counted the days two more times in her head, slowly and carefully. Placing a hand on her lower stomach, she stared at the calendar.

"…I missed my period last month," she stated very simply.

There was a long pause.

Itachi continued typing away until the words had a chance to really clank away inside his head. And then his fingers suddenly froze and his jaw dropped.

"What."

"Hm… I wonder if it's my diet? Maybe I should eat more iron?" Sakura wondered out loud, hand rubbing absently at her stomach while Itachi finally turned around to face her. Itachi's mouth hung open but no sound left it, like he was choking on air.

"What," Itachi said again. Sakura's eyes met his and she looked so remarkably calm while he looked ready to explode. His stare darted from her face to her hand and back to her face. Sakura watched him suck in a huge breath before he suddenly flung himself out of his chair. While she stood just a little puzzled, Itachi scrambled around throwing on his jacket and looking for his keys.

"Is the drug store open right now?" he demanded while struggling to fit his right foot into his left shoe. She thought for a moment.

"The one down the street, I think. Why?"

"Be right back," Itachi simply flung at her before he practically ran out of the apartment. Sakura honestly would have been more worried if she hadn't remembered that she still had the entire periodic table of elements to memorize. She was interrupted ten minutes later when Itachi burst into the apartment, a white plastic bag clenched in his right hand. The bag fell into her lap. Itachi seemed to be on the brink of tearing his own hair out in giant fistfuls if she didn't look inside. So Sakura reached into the bag to pull out a small rectangular box.

A pregnancy test.

Honestly, if she wasn't so strung out on caffeine and so exhausted, Sakura would have been embarrassed too. Instead, she quietly went into the bathroom to try it out. When she emerged a couple minutes later, Itachi hovered over her shoulder like a slightly spastic hawk. Ten minutes later, they stared at the little minus sign in the window. Nobody spoke for a very long time before Sakura shrugged.

"See? There are a lot of things that'll make a girl miss her period," Sakura announced with levity that surprised herself. It wasn't that she wasn't at all worried. It was just that they were very careful about protection and this wasn't the first time she had ever missed her usual cycle. Her habit of forgetting to eat and sleep in favor of studying tended to do that a lot actually. But she turned and Itachi was still staring down at the little white stick with the same expression of anxiety.

"This could be a false negative," Itachi finally declared.

"Itachi-kun."

"I'll schedule an appointment at a hospital for you. You never know. I don't think my savings could cover the expense of having a baby right now. Maybe if I got a second job? Actually, there's that money from-"

"Itachi-kun."

"I could always take a break from school. Get a full-time job. I'm pretty strong. I could probably get a job in construction work. Or maybe uncle's firm has room for an assistant. That would pay pretty well-"

"Itachi-kun."

"Hm?"

"I'm not pregnant. Calm down," Sakura said when she finally got his attention. Eyes still a little crazy, Itachi put his hands on her shoulders.

"You should still get it checked out just in case," Itachi insisted. Puffing her cheeks out, Sakura frowned.

"If I do, will you stop panicking?"

"Yes," he promptly replied.

"You know, it's probably just stress and not sleeping," Sakura insisted under her breath.

"That's not much better," Itachi exclaimed, storming over to push her into a chair, as if even the smallest amount of exertion would send her flying into cardiac arrest.

Finally, sighing and rolling her eyes, Sakura agreed and they went to the hospital after school the following day. As they sat in the small room to wait for the doctor, Sakura wondered at what point had she become the calm one and Itachi become the nervous puppy. Then again, if she wasn't so sleep-deprived, maybe she would be more panicky too. But only the logical part of her brain really seemed to be up for functioning at the moment and it was assuring her not to worry. So she didn't. She filled out the questionnaire in the waiting room with a steady hand. Every once in a while she paused and looked over at Itachi to ask for his opinion on an answer.

Was she sexually active?

Did they use protection?

Did she have multiple partners in the last few months?

The last question made Itachi let out a strange noise between a scoff and a cough. Once Sakura finished, she handed the clipboard back to the nurses and sat back down on the couch. There were a few other people scattered around the room. An elderly couple was in the corner clasping hands. A young mother held her child in her lap as he made whooshing noises for his toy airplane. Itachi threaded his fingers through hers, squeezing just a little tighter than usual.

When the doctor came in a few minutes later, Sakura was completely unsurprised at the words that came out of his mouth.

"So, Haruno-san, I'm here to inform you that the results of your initial pregnancy test were correct. You're not with child," he said in a warm, fatherly voice that Sakura supposed was popular with his patients.

Itachi finally stopped jiggling his leg and they thanked the doctor for his time.

Back at the apartment, Sakura poured herself a glass of orange juice. Itachi stood at the calendar with an odd expression.

"Satisfied? I'm not pregnant. You're not going to have to quit school. And I can go on studying," Sakura said just a little smugly as she sat down at the kitchen table to get her homework out of the way.

"Well… I suppose it's a little early. Maybe in a few years," Itachi muttered.

"Your priorities are all out of whack!" Sakura half-laughed, half-snapped. Shaking her head a little, she glanced over at him still standing at the calendar with an odd mixture of longing and relief.

* * *

January 27th arrived and suddenly Sakura realized that her entire future hung in the balance over a stupid test. The three nights leading up to that Saturday, Deidara and Kisame had made themselves permanent fixtures at the apartment. They seemed just as stressed if not more stressed than Sakura as they helped her go over the most crucial topics for the exam. Sasori joined in once but fell asleep halfway through and ended up not being too much help.

"Well, he's been busy working on sewing those clothes for the show, right?" Sakura defended him as she draped a blanket over his form curled up on the sofa.

"You're first priority right now, My-chan, yeah," Deidara grumbled, eyeing Sasori with severe disapproval.

"That's sweet, Dei-chan. But you're the only one weird enough to think that," she laughed. Shrugging, Deidara put his arm around her, only to be karate chopped in the back of the head by Kisame.

But Saturday morning, Sakura woke up in the bed- not on the floor or at the kitchen table with her cheek stuck to her notebook. She turned off the alarm on her cell phone before Itachi had a chance to throw his arm over her and pull her back under the covers again.

"Morning," she breathed out. Itachi grunted something in response. He exhaled deeply before pressing his lips against the nape of her neck. When he nuzzled lightly, his stubble tickled her just enough to make her smile.

"What time is it?" mumbled Itachi.

"Almost 6:30. I need to take a shower," Sakura almost complained. She had to be at the university by 8 am. Since they were so close, it meant that she didn't have to wake up nearly as early as some of the other people taking the same exam. And after weeks of abuse and sleep deprivation, Sakura's body almost seemed resigned to being roused so early. It could be worse. Sakura sat up, shivering a little against the morning chill.

"Do you want breakfast?" asked Itachi mostly into his pillow from where his head had fallen.

"I'll make something myself," she assured him.

"Do you need a ride?"

"I'll walk. Get some rest," Sakura huffed, climbing down from the loft.

When she made it to her assigned room a little before 8, Sakura found herself in a sea of panicking students. There were people frantically reading their notecards and burying their noses in books last-minute. Sakura, armed with just a few writing tools and an eraser, calmly sat in her seat and propped her chin up in her hand to wait.

The first day of testing took a little over 5 hours. Most of the questions were easy. She had memorized enough history and names and dates to breeze through and her grasp of English was good enough. Japanese literature, the subject she detested most, was about as horrible as she had expected. In anticipation, she had had Sasori drill her on classical texts and comprehension until she had grown to shuddering at any book that looked moderately old.

The second day was much easier. It was science and math. Kisame had done a good job of helping her cover the crucial topics (especially in his favorite subject: biology). Chemistry was somewhat of a struggle. Sakura was naturally horrible at chemistry but she had forced herself to understand it enough in high school that it wasn't as catastrophic as it could have been. And math, blessed math, was easy. Math never changed. It had strict formulas and rules that always led to the correct answers.

At the end of the two days, Sakura lay on the sofa facing the TV and closed her eyes. Her head was deposited comfortably in Itachi's lap who was watching the news. Itachi stroked her hair as she stretched her arms out. After hours of filling in bubbles, her right hand felt like it was made out of limp noodles.

"How do you think you did?" he asked. Sakura groaned, pressing the heels of her hands to her eyes.

"I don't even know. I just want to eat ice cream and then lie in bed and not go anywhere anymore," Sakura whined. Peering up at him through her fingers, Sakura found that Itachi was trying his best not to laugh at her childish tone.

"Stay in bed? I like that idea," he said with a smile.

"Ugh!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Hey, it's been a month and I've been on my best behavior. Indulge me a little," Itachi pointed out. Sakura thought for a while and then she sat up.

"Fine! But ice cream first," she declared as she stood. Before she could make it even one step, Itachi's fingers closed around her arm and she somehow ended up pinned underneath him. Glowering at him, Sakura wrinkled her nose.

"The ice cream can wait. I don't think I can," he whispered against her ear.

"Well my tummy can't! Feed me first or I will be an intolerable brat for the rest of the night," Sakura sniffed as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"A brat?" Itachi repeated with obvious confusion.

"I'll ask for massages and I'll nag you and I'll never leave you alone," she clarified. Itachi mulled this over and then he shrugged.

"I wouldn't mind that. Where should we start with those massages then?"

* * *

Chahan* is fried rice.

Yuzu* is a fruit that almost looks like a mandarin orange but it sort of tastes like a grapefruit. I know in Korea it's used to make tea and other drinks but the Japanese prefer to use it as flavoring or garnish.

Zoni* or ozoni is traditional soup eaten on New Year's.

And my apologies in advance to anyone from Japan if I've massively screwed up any of the New Year's traditions. My knowledge of these festivities consists of me pestering my Japanese friends for information and then googling the rest when they're too lazy to explain properly.

**Reviews please because it'll be February and then March and then it'll be the end of this extremely long tale! Let me know what you think will happen... or what you want to happen. Who's your favorite character?**


	25. Today

I wish I had the time to update regularly but I honestly hadn't expected to be so busy. I think this semester is determined to eat up my entire life and it's doing quite well so far. Still, I hope this will be able to tide you all over at least for a little bit.

* * *

Fancy Footwork

Chapter 25: Today

"Tell me something, Sakura."

Sakura lifted her eyebrow. She didn't remember the last time Deidara had addressed her without one of his usual endearments. Then again, she didn't remember the last time she had been able to keep her eyes open without coffee for the last few weeks. Sleeping 12 hours a night was wonderful even if Itachi worried that it wasn't normal. Raising her arms over her head to stretch, Sakura waited for Deidara to continue speaking. From the other side of the room, Itachi, who had been trying to pull off a one-handed handstand, also looked intrigued. As he teetered on just his right hand, he gave Sakura an equally puzzled look.

"The results come back in a week, yeah?" Deidara asked, claiming her attention again. Sakura nodded. Itachi lost his balance completely and managed to land on his feet before standing upright. He promptly tried again, flipping forward onto his hands.

"And that's when we'll know if you'll be a college student or a sad reject studying for another year, right?"

Sakura nodded slightly slowly this time. Sitting on the ground next to her was Kisame reaching for his toes to stretch his legs. He let out a loud snort of laughter. There was an undignified thump as Itachi chuckled and lost his balance, landing on his back.

"Delicate as always, Deidara," Kisame chuckled. He looked over his shoulder to make sure that Itachi wasn't actually hurt.

"You're not nervous, yeah?" Deidara asked while ignoring Kisame. Sakura frowned at him as she stood up straight. She swung her arms in a circle to loosen up her shoulders. Repeating this a couple times, she knew that her silence was making them worry. Kisame and Deidara stared at her until she finally finished stretching and then smiled.

"Dei-chan, that's a weird question. Of course I'm nervous. But being nervous won't change how well I did a week ago," she finally responded, nudging him with her elbow.

"Yeah, Dei-chan. Sakura-chan says you're dumb," Kisame snickered.

"Shut up, Trilobite-kun," Deidara snapped with a vicious smile. As they began bickering like usual, Sakura walked over to Sasori lying on his stomach in the corner. She stepped carefully as he concentrated on fitting a glass bead onto a chain of many others. Just the other day Kisame had interrupted Sasori as he attempted to thread a needle and had ended up with a pincushion shoved down the back of his pants. Even now Kisame kept his distance, shooting wary glances at Sasori every once in a while. When the bead was securely slid into place and the thread knotted so the lines of clear beads wouldn't slip free, Sasori looked up with the vaguely sleepy expression he always had on.

"How're things going?" she inquired as she sat down in front of him. Letting out a heavy sigh, Sasori reached back to grab his thickest sketchbook and slid it over to her. Then, like the simple action had drained all strength from his body, Sasori flopped onto his back while Sakura flipped through the pages.

Sasori and Deidara had submitted their preliminary sketches along with the usual sample photos of the few pieces they had already finished. Their model, though whiny and demanding as ever, had come out very nicely in the pictures. After some helpful critique from their advisors, Sasori had begun putting together their final pieces for the show next month. Last year's theme had been an evening gown. This year's theme was "springtime". This, of course, explained the vast quantities swatches exploding out of Sasori's bag in dizzying rainbows of neon and bright graphic prints.

"What the hell kind of nonsense theme is that, yeah?" Deidara had complained after he had revealed it to Sakura. Even though she really had no part in the project this year, Sasori and Deidara were careful to keep her updated. Sometimes they asked her opinion on colors or fabrics. They wavered between various ensembles, choosing one and then switching it a million times in the next hour. Sakura's gaze lingered on one particular drawing. It was a sundress. She could tell that Sasori had a soft spot for them because he always seemed to be sketching them. But the bodice was, from what she could tell, supposed to be some sort of sheer layer over solid fabric along with a swirling floral pattern twisting down the flowing skirt. Sasori sat up and caught her tracing the outline of the dress with her pointer finger before she cleared her throat and flipped to the next page to resume her casual browsing.

"You're looking a lot better. Getting some rest?" Sasori commented, taking his face in her hands. She let him turn her face to the left and to the right without much protest. Sasori preferred physical contact sometimes and she had known him long enough to just not mind anymore. His honey-colored gaze swept over her face several times before he seemed satisfied.

"I'm slowly weaning myself off the coffee and actually sleeping at night," she reported. Sasori nodded his approval before he pulled her in for a hug.

"Good girl," Sasori muttered as he rested his chin on her shoulder. When he didn't move for a while, Sakura grew a little worried and angled her head back to look at him.

"He fell asleep," she remarked. Kisame trotted over with a quizzical expression. But Sakura just pointed at Sasori, afraid to shrug. Kisame crouched, waving his hand in front of Sasori's nose until he too seemed to conclude that the redhead had in fact fallen asleep that easily. Sitting down cross-legged next to Sakura, Kisame let out harried sigh.

"Come on, Sassy-senpai. That's no way to treat another man's lady," Kisame admonished half-seriously. Muttering something under his breath, Sasori decided to slide off of Sakura's shoulder in favor of letting Kisame's knee become his new pillow.

"Sassy-senpai," Sakura repeated with a snort of a laugh. With his arm as limp as a noodle, Sasori swatted at Sakura's leg.

"Bad Sakura-chan," he mumbled before falling silent again. Looking at each other with wide eyes, Kisame and Sakura tried to choke down their giggles. When Kisame let a noise escape, Sakura pressed her pointer finger against his lips to silence him even as her own face turned pink from the effort not to burst out in loud honks of laughter. It was then, of course, that Itachi managed to sit up, rubbing at his sore shoulder blade. He looked slowly from Sasori to Kisame to Sakura before looking back at Kisame again with a hint of a glare.

It was no use. Sakura and Kisame burst into obnoxious guffaws and squeaks. And for some odd reason, Sasori slept on quite comfortably during this ordeal with the most peaceful expression.

To be completely honest, Sakura was actually extremely nervous to find out whether she was going to college next year. But there was something even more unnerving than that. It was related, but so much more horrific and trying.

Her father's family absolutely adored her.

It was a concept that puzzled both her and Itachi. And between them, they were usually able to figure out most things with the power of pure logic (or in Sakura's case, hitting electronics until they worked again).

Apparently, Ryuu, upon his return home, had gushed all about his wonderful daughter to his wife and son. She was student council president, she danced, and she was going to be an amazing doctor. According to Ryuu, her half-brother, Yuki, loved to hear stories about her all the time. Ryuu had run out of real stories to tell him after a week and had started concocting ridiculous tales to placate his son. Sakura had a headache just thinking about all the things the poor boy was being told.

"Watch, we'll meet and he'll be demanding to know why I can't fly or why I don't really own a pet unicorn or something," Sakura grumbled once as she got off the phone. From the other end of the sofa, Itachi tried his best not to smile. Itachi closed his notebook and set it aside to give Sakura his full attention.

"Seems like you're getting along with them," he remarked. Idly wriggling her toes, Sakura shrugged.

"Jennifer-san's Japanese is really good. Apparently she's a Japanese teacher at a high school in the next town over. And Yuki calls me 'Onee-san' a lot," Sakura said without much tone. She didn't really know how to feel. Her own mother had explicitly stated that she was happy for Ryuu and was glad that Sakura was getting along with that strange sort-of-family side of the family. Maybe it was just her being weird by herself. Maybe she was the only one that couldn't quite wrap her head around the idea.

"I mean, they say they like me. But how do I know that she doesn't secretly hate me? What if it's my stupid dad's idea for me to live with them and Jennifer-san's just too polite to say no?" Sakura groaned, running her fingers through her hair so hard that it hurt a little. Itachi fixed her with an exasperated look.

"This is stupid. I'm overthinking things again," Sakura added. Itachi nodded.

"But **still**. What woman would like her husband's brat from a previous marriage? Wouldn't that mess with inheritance rights or something?" she fretted again. Itachi took hold of her big toe and squeezed hard enough for her to scowl.

"There are two things I find severely flawed about your argument," Itachi stated.

"Indulge me, Great Lawyer Itachi-sama," Sakura prompted with a mischievous smile. Ignoring her sass, Itachi counted off on his fingers as he spoke.

"First point: Your father's wife has already proven her good will when she forced him to come to Japan to make amends with you," Itachi stated. Crossing her arms over her chest, Sakura put on her best stern expression.

"Objection sustained. Please continue," Sakura responded in a grave tone.

"Second point: What inheritance?" Itachi concluded a little smugly.

"So I'm really just overthinking?" she asked. When she looked up, she found that Itachi was watching her with great consideration. After a moment, he shook his head.

"I don't think so. I just think you're putting too much pressure on yourself. I keep telling you that it's okay to be spoiled a little," he replied.

"I've been indulged plenty, thank you very much," Sakura sniffed. To prove her point, she slid over and deposited herself in Itachi's lap. She pretended to be busy rubbing at a wrinkle on his shirt while he eyed her. Finally, after a very long moment of his staring, Sakura looked up at him, fluttering her eyelashes in exaggerated blinks.

"Yes?" she asked innocently in response to his silence.

"You're right. Much too pampered, in fact. Since when is it okay to treat me as your armchair?" he demanded in a grave tone. Sakura shrugged.

"You don't pay rent, you eat all the ice cream, and now I've been demoted to furniture," Itachi sighed.

"Yes but I do most of the cooking and the cleaning and half of the laundry. And I also do this!" Before Itachi could react, Sakura bit him on the ear and then ran off to the kitchen. When she peeked over her shoulder, she could see his absolutely stupefied expression fixated on the place she had been. As she yanked the refrigerator door open, she heard the slow creak of him getting off the sofa.

"Hm…what should we have for dinner?" Sakura mused out loud, purposely ignoring the sound of his approaching footsteps. Prodding at the various groceries stacked neatly inside, Sakura sighed exaggeratedly until a shadow fell over the inside of the refrigerator. She feigned ignorance when his fingers wrapped around the metal door handle just above hers. His other hand came to rest on top of the refrigerator.

"Sakura," Itachi said in an even tone.

"What is it?" she responded just as lightly. When he tried to push the door shut, she resisted. His chin rested on top of her head.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" he inquired.

"Good question. I think I'll make miso soup today," Sakura hummed. She carefully sneaked a glance at him and met his eyes. He regarded her with the same look of exasperation she recognized from when they had first met and he had started insisting on carrying her bag for her all the time. When she blinked owlishly, his mouth puckered into a frown.

"You're trying to kill me."

Not a question. A simple statement. Sakura shrugged.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she sang as she ducked under his arm and took a few steps back. They eyed each other warily before Sakura spun on her heel and turned to run. She made it about four steps before he hooked his arm around her waist. Squealing with laughter, she let him twirl her around the kitchen in time to soundless music until her head was spinning just as hard.

* * *

The next Saturday, Sakura stumbled out of bed to shut her alarm off. Itachi had left early for work but not before waking her up at 7 to kiss her and wish her luck. The sound of his rasping voice in her ear always sent delicious shivers tingling all the way down to her toes. Looping her arms around his neck, she lifted herself to kiss him back before snuggling back into the warm covers. An hour later, she woke again, this time a little less happily, and climbed down from the loft.

After her usual cup of coffee, she perked up enough to shower without drowning. With damp hair and before she had swallowed her last bite of toast, Sakura was out the door. She skipped the elevator and hurried down the stairs into the lobby. The landlord was outside brushing stray litter off the sidewalk and into a dustpan. He returned her sluggish greeting with a cheerful smile and the regular "how are you" and "where are you heading this fine day".

Hands shoved into the pockets of her favorite white hoodie, she slouched all the way to the university where there was already a crowd of anxious students. They milled around the large bulletin board where lists of numbers had been firmly stapled. And they stood, eyes wide as they scoured the lines as if it was some prophecy declaring either their individual safety or eternal doom. In a way, that was exactly what was happening. Someone would periodically burst into tears and run off, letting everyone know that he or she had been rejected. No one seemed to mind, though. There would just be a little jostling until they filled in the space left behind so someone else would get a chance to peer at the board.

Sakura stood patiently in the back, rocking back and forth on the heels of her boots until she could squeeze in to look. She quickly scanned for her four-digit number, running through the dizzying patterns of numbers until she got to the very last page of numbers and she could feel her heart pounding in her ears. A strange, strangled noise left her when she finally saw a familiar set of digits. Halfway down the page, there were the shining figures, gleaming proudly in black ink. Sakura rubbed her eyes once to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. She even checked the scrap of paper clenched in her hand to make sure she wasn't just looking at the wrong numbers.

But no, they were hers. She was accepted. With her ears ringing, she stepped out of the throng to let more people surge forward. Almost numbly, she cast her gaze around the parts of KU campus she could see. Then, after a moment of consideration, she let her feet carry her off. She traveled the familiar concrete paths, admiring the trimmed lawns and the beautiful sculptures either donated by alumni or created by students. Some of them were twisted works of metal- others were more classical works chiseled in stone.

For a moment, she considered popping in on Sasori or Deidara who would probably be holed up in one of the two buildings designated for students of fashion design or cosmetology across campus. She had accompanied them once and the windows and rows and unlimited supplies of shining tools had left her breathless for a while. But they would be busy. They would be delighted, but essentially soulless and mostly on the brink of death.

She could go visit Kisame to deliver the good news but that would involve taking a bus to the zoo the next city over where there was a large aquarium affiliated with the university's marine biology program. According to Kisame, since the aquarium sat on the shore, it allowed the creatures to roam comfortably in natural waters while keeping them close for safety. He boasted the large collection of sharks, which always led to Deidara snickering some snide comment about Kisame going to visit his family. But no. Kisame was busy too.

Instead, Sakura climbed up to the second floor in a familiar building that smelled like paint thinner and clay. The air always felt a little dusty in her nose but it wasn't an unfamiliar feeling. It took some searching because the specific rooms always changed based on which student was using which medium. But after a minute, Sakura opened the door to a brightly-lit room. The blinds had been shoved to the top, drapes yanked to the sides to ensure maximum sunlight pouring inside. She opened her mouth to speak but then Konan saw her out of the corner of her eye and pressed her index finger to her lips.

"Nagato's sleeping," Konan whispered in barely audible voice. Sakura entered the room on the tips of her toes. She glided across the hard tile until she saw that Konan was sitting on one of the lounge chairs scattered around. Sakura had noticed that there were a lot more couches in the studio than expected. And there were even a couple rooms where hammocks were strung from the ceiling and pillows were heaped on top of filing cabinets to make beds. According to Konan, some of the art students practically lived there- sleeping in hammocks and taking their meals here too as they worked.

However, it wasn't Konan slumbering away but her boyfriend. He was sitting at a table, his laptop open in front of him. His cheek rested on his arm, pushing his glasses askew. And Konan sat a few feet in front of him, her sketchbook open in her lap. Instead of a pencil or paint, there was a stubby piece of charcoal pinched between her first three fingers.

"I pulled an all-nighter and he insisted on staying with me," Konan quietly explained as she continued drawing long, even strokes onto the thick paper. Sakura pulled up a stool next to her and sat to watch. Slowly, but steadily, Pein's short hair emerged. And then the slope of his forehead was followed by his straight nose. Konan etched in each detail so carefully that it almost felt like the person on the paper might start breathing evenly in his dreams.

"Congratulations, by the way. Am I the first person you're telling?"

Sakura tried her best not to laugh as she nodded. She watched as Konan's arm swept across the page as she drew in the broad lines of the curtains behind him.

"I'm moving right after graduation. Nagato's taking a job offer in Sapporo in the summer. So this will probably be the last time we'll see each other before I go," Konan casually added in. Chewing on her lower lip, Sakura felt just a little bad that she wasn't all that surprised. Konan had always been an existence that seemed ready to fly away at the faintest puff of wind. Still, she was saddened by the news.

"I'll miss you, senpai," was all Sakura could think to say in that moment. Konan turned her head to look at her, her eyes widening.

"You will?"

"Of course," Sakura almost snorted. Konan pursed her lips before looking back to her drawing and then up at Nagato still sleeping peacefully.

"Oh...that's good. Because I'll miss you too," Konan replied rather awkwardly. Smiling, Sakura continued looking over her friend's shoulder until the sketch was finished.

Sakura left soon after. Pein woke up not long after Konan was finished and Sakura was still intimidated by him even after knowing him for almost a year. Making up a half-hearted excuse, Sakura left the couple in favor of leaving university property altogether. For the first time in a very, very long time, she went home to crawl back into bed before dark. And she gave herself that Saturday.

She slept until nearly noon and when she woke up, she didn't bother to change out of her pajamas. Instead of doing homework due on Monday, Sakura did the laundry, using the time in-between each load to finish up a book Hinata had recommended to her nearly a month before. For lunch, she indulged in cup ramen: bursting with chemicals and preservatives but filling her stomach with a warm mélange of brothy goodness. After folding the clean clothes and putting them away, she curled up on the sofa for a long nap that was only interrupted when Itachi came home a little before 4. She felt his lips against her temple before she opened her eyes halfway.

"Hi," she greeted with a lazy smile that he promptly kissed.

"What's the verdict?" he inquired. At this, her eyes opened all the way. She had been planning some diabolical ruse to trick him into thinking that she had failed miserably. But she was just too happy and too excited to do anything but smile and shrug.

"I guess all the coffee paid off," she told him after a moment. She would have said something else too but in the next instant his entire face lit up as he lifted her off the sofa. Laughing, she threw her arms around his neck and planted a noisy kiss to his cheek.

Before anything else could happen, Itachi urged her to call her mother. So, with a little reluctance, Sakura dialed Kirie's number, half-expecting voicemail. But Kirie picked up after three rings, despite the fact that it would be late at night for her.

"Sorry to bother you. Were you sleeping?" asked Sakura. She sat on the arm of the sofa, her fingers drawing circles into the soft leather.

"No. How've you been, sweetheart?" Kirie greeted in the same bright voice as always. Swallowing the strange lump that always seemed to form in her throat when she spoke with her mother, Sakura steeled herself. She had thought up a million things to say once her mother picked up. It was all planned out neatly in her brain, the exciting news, the everyday gossip Kirie loved to hear.

For some odd reason, however, none of those things were the words to leave her mouth. Instead, the two things that she blurted out were:

"I got into Konoha University. So I'm studying abroad in America next year."

She could feel Itachi's eyes on the side of her face. Although he was aware that she was swaying toward leaving the country, she hadn't decided on anything yet. But the statements had tumbled out and there was no way to grab them and shove them back down her throat. Biting on her lower lip, she slowly looked over at him to gauge his expression. Unsurprisingly, there was a deep line furrowing his forehead while the corners of his mouth turned down. He sunk down on the sofa right beside her, eyes never leaving her face.

"Oh. Well…This is…sudden?" Kirie eventually answered.

"Yeah," Sakura said faintly, her gaze locking with Itachi's.

"Well…would you be coming to LA?" inquired her mother after a length.

"Not…exactly. Dad invited me to stay with him for the year."

There was more silence. She was too much like her mother. They both didn't know what to say at awkward times like this.

"You could come visit me during your breaks," Kirie finally suggested. A smile tugged at Sakura's lips.

"I could. And we could go shopping and go eat food and you could help me with my English," added Sakura. Kirie's laugh rang brightly. Then after a moment, something struck Sakura as a little odd.

"Wait. LA? Weren't you in Chicago?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you, did I? They swapped me to California instead. The weather here is so nice! You'd love it!" exclaimed Kirie. As her mother launched into her story, Sakura watched Itachi get to his feet. He silently walked to the kitchen. The motions of him putting water into the coffee maker were very familiar to her by now. It was the tense lines of his shoulders and the way he didn't look at her even once that worried her. He leaned against the counter, tapping his fingers in the rhythm of a song she couldn't hear. The tilt of his head and then the silent sigh were all she could focus on. But then the coffee maker finished brewing and Kirie was asking for Sakura's opinion in her ear.

"Huh? Sorry," Sakura replied.

"I was asking, silly, if you'd consider coming to LA right after graduation? You could spend summer here and then go to New York," suggested Kirie. That caught her attention.

"I don't know. You wouldn't mind?"

"Why would I mind? Oh it'll be so much fun! You should meet my friend Cheryl! She's just hysterical!"

As Kirie bubbled over with more words, Sakura stared at Itachi pouring out his coffee. A splash of milk and a heaping spoonful of sugar later, he was sitting back on the sofa next to her. He continued stirring at the cooling drink with his spoon, not even once lifting it up to his mouth to drink. It seemed an eternity before Kirie seemed to run out of steam. She let out a big sigh, reclaiming Sakura's attention.

"Well it's late for me, sweetheart. Let's talk again and then we'll sort out all the details," said Kirie. Her words were punctuated by a large yawn from her end. Eyes still fixed on Itachi, Sakura hummed her consent. They exchanged the usual greetings and promised to talk again within the next few days before hanging up. As soon as she set her phone down, Sakura scrunched her face up in a frown.

"You're mad," she immediately said.

"Not mad," Itachi slowly admitted. That did little to reassure her.

"Not **mad**? Or are you not mad?" Sakura carefully probed. Only when Itachi regarded her with one of his half-smiles did she feel the anxiety loosen a little in her chest.

"I'm not angry, I promise," was what he responded with.

"Sorry. This is a little sudden, right?" she sighed. Itachi placed his mug down on the coffee table, nudging it further away with his fingertips.

"I…No. It's nothing,"

Face scrunching up in a frown Sakura tugged on his sleeve. But his gaze stayed focused on his coffee. Breathing a sigh of frustration, she wormed her way under his left arm to peer up at him. It was then that he blinked out of his daze.

"Itachi," she called his name softly.

"Tell me," Sakura insisted while putting on her best pout until he cracked a full smile. The way his dark eyes searched her face was a little worrying. After a moment, a low breath left his mouth. He lifted his arm to let her scoot closer to him.

"I'm almost…embarrassed…to admit this," Itachi began very slowly. Crossing her arms over her chest, Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. She had had her share of embarrassing things to say during their relationship while he had almost always remained the pinnacle of cool composure. Catching sight of her expression, he let out a light chuckle.

"It just feels like I might lose you," he relented.

She stared at him.

"Why?" she asked. Usually she was rather adept at deciphering his leaps in logic. She had learned from experience that geniuses like him sometimes thought one or two or ten steps ahead. But she was stumped. Bewildered.

"You just…You're just always smiling and trying new things and at some point I looked at you and I realized that you're just…"

"Just what?" she prompted as gently as she could.

"I'm worried you're going to spread wings and fly off somewhere. You'll leave and see wonderful things…the world here is small…Will you want to come back?"

He couldn't even articulate full sentences.

So Sakura reached.

For all this time, he had been the one to pull her up. He had guided her, nurtured her, and been the one to always remind her to just take time to remember to live. Resting her cheek against his chest, Sakura listened to his deep breaths.

"Sure. This little place I know is probably really small compared to what I might see," she softly said.

"But that doesn't mean it isn't home," Sakura added after some thought. She could feel Itachi's eyes on her.

"Besides, who else is going to put up with my temper tantrums? There's nowhere better for me to go, Itachi-kun," was her final answer. She gave him a moment for her words to fully sink in. A low hum travelled up his throat as he thought.

"I'll miss you too much," Itachi sighed. Letting out a giggle, she twisted her neck to look up at him.

"Good. You'd better," she sniffed until he pressed a smiling kiss to her mouth.

* * *

Valentine's Day crept up so silently that Sakura would have forgotten all about it had it not been for Hinata. For some reason, Hinata had gotten it into her head to give Naruto homemade sweets. Though Hinata was a skilled baker, she had absolutely zero experience with candies and the chef at her house seemed equally clueless. Luckily, when Hinata called, Sakura was sitting in the library with Ino two days before Valentine's Day.

"Make chocolate? That sounds nice," Sakura hummed into the phone. Ino's pencil abruptly stopped moving. When her bright blue gaze darted to meet Sakura's, Sakura let out a little sigh.

"Sure. But I'm bringing Ino-chan," Sakura warned.

They burnt two batches of chocolate and ruined another one with too much milk before they got anywhere. As they stood taking turns squeezing the chocolate into molds, Ino bumped her hip into Sakura's.

"Hey! Watch it, Piggy!" Sakura exclaimed as she nearly squirted outside the metal heart. But Ino just grinned and dipped her finger into a stray glob of cooling chocolate on the edge of the tray before sticking it into her mouth.

"So I've been talking to Shikamaru and he tells me that Sasuke-kun says that you're going to America?" pried Ino with an eager smile. Sakura took a moment to roll her eyes at Hinata before turning back to her gossip-loving friend.

"So if you've already heard, why are you asking me?" asked Sakura.

"Don't be rude, Forehead. You're thinking of leaving without telling me?" insisted Ino, really sounding a little hurt. In response, Sakura squirted a little chocolate onto Ino's nose before calmly resuming her careful decoration.

"I wasn't even sure until a few days ago. And I'm sure you won't miss me too much with Shikamaru to jabber at you," Sakura joked. Ino rubbed the corner of her apron across her face.

"So you're really going?" Hinata spoke up. Sakura handed the piping bag off to Ino before looking up. Her two friends were staring at her. It was clear that nothing else was getting done until she gave them an answer.

"I guess I am," Sakura sighed. With a loud harrumph, Ino squeezed too much chocolate into her mold until the heart shape overflowed.

"Well at least bring me back a nice souvenir or something!" Ino said too loudly.

"Only if you save some chocolate for Hinata-chan too! Geez you're wasting it all!" reprimanded Sakura as she slapped Ino's arm.

That Thursday was the usual rush of blushing faces and soft giggles that accompanied the holiday. Sasuke, as usual, darted in and out of shadows around the school like fugitive to avoid being seen. Unfortunately, his fans had grown smart and discovered him before first period even began. He skulked into their classroom to join them for lunch with a couple red blotches on his collar and cheek that looked suspiciously like lipstick he had tried to smear away. But this year it seemed that Naruto had also garnered a significant amount of attention. The two captains of the basketball club were hard to miss, after all. Both were tall and both boasted nice physique from sports. Naruto's easy-going smile and Sasuke's taciturn demeanor had become somewhat famous.

Sasuke was used to the attention, however, and resigned himself to opening up his shoe locker and watching an impossible amount of chocolates and letters spill onto his feet. Naruto, however, eyed his own stack of gifts with guilty awe before he stammered out unneeded apologies to Hinata. Smiling fondly, she knelt to help him pick up his valentines and deposit them in a paper bag. When Sasuke began shoving his into a pile with his foot, he caught Sakura's glower.

"No," she sternly said. Hovering over him, she crossed her arms over her chest. Behind her, Moegi and Udon poked their heads out to watch while trying their best not to laugh.

"Since when does the student council care about valentines?" grumbled Sasuke as he crouched down to gather them into his arms.

"Do it or I'll tell your mother on you," warned Sakura. Sasuke hesitated for a moment before he began hurriedly shoving the envelopes into his pockets too.

Even socially awkward Sai had managed to catch the eye of one giggling freshman. When her chocolate was met with one of his blinding smiles, she immediately turned scarlet. This pleasant blush soon darkened to an angry flush when Sai commented on how misshapen and strange her chocolate looked. Sakura patted his back soothingly while Hinata helped him put an ice pack on the handprint gracing his cheek.

As they had done last year, Sakura and Itachi ditched their friends in favor of having a date. Unsurprisingly, it was a busy day as couples all over the city went out to celebrate. They dropped by a small café to avoid the worst of the crowds and to share a slice of cheesecake over cups of coffee. As Sakura sat sipping at her ceramic mug, Itachi crossed one leg over the other. He began jiggling his leg until his foot was bouncing in time to the beat of the soft guitar music playing over the speakers.

"Are you alright?" she slowly asked as her eyes fixed on his flailing foot. Following her line of vision, he quickly uncrossed his legs.

"We won't get to do this next year," Itachi pointed out. Her smile faded. The sound of her mug against the tabletop sounded heavy for no reason. Their fingers inched toward each other until he could put his hand over hers. Even after all this time, her nails remained unpainted. He had always liked that about her hands. The sight of long, artificial nails covered with gems and glitter had never appealed to him.

"I don't like thinking about that," Sakura finally declared. The corners of his mouth pulled up into something that didn't quite look like a smile.

"Me neither," he sighed.

They quickly decided that they were depressing themselves. With the usual bickering over who would pay for their food, Sakura won by pulling out her best pout. Ignoring Itachi's frown, she headed outside with an extra spring in her step. Turning around, she took his hands and swung them around until he let out a sigh.

"You're impossible," Itachi remarked. Giving him a proud grin, she pressed herself against his side. Their fingers neatly laced together, arms tucked between them. Once they reached the end of the quiet street and turned onto one of the city's bigger avenues, the noise hit them again. It was the rumble of cars and the sharp clack of shoes on the sidewalk as people rushed to their destinations without noticing anything around them. They stayed close to the right side, pausing to look into shop windows. Whenever Itachi offered to buy whatever Sakura was admiring, she glanced at the price tag and, eyes widening, would drag him further down the sidewalk while he laughed at her horrified expression.

They ducked into a park, following the winding path past the playground. As they passed the swings, a toddler ambled out and tripped over a rock. She burst into loud wails that should have immediately drawn her mother if she were anywhere nearby. It didn't matter though because Sakura immediately knelt at her side. She helped the little girl to her feet, frantically checking her scraped knee for any serious damage.

"Manami! There you are!" a woman called as she ran over, huffing and puffing. There was a little boy trailing after her. And even though they had done nothing, she thanked the couple profusely for finding her daughter. Bowing awkwardly, Sakura and Itachi continued their walk. A few steps away, Sakura paused to look back and Itachi did the same.

The girl had stopped crying as her mother swept her up into her arms. It was like a magic spell, the way a mother could whisper and pat her child's head to stop tears. Sakura didn't know what kind of face she had on but Itachi suddenly leaned over to kiss her.

"What was that for?" she inquired. Smiling mysteriously, he guided them back to their walk without explaining anything else.

They wandered the city for a long time. Without a specific destination, they found themselves weaving in and out of the tiny shops no one ever took notice of. They ended the day with a paper bag full of still-hot steamed buns and a few colorful mugs they had found in a pawn shop. And as usual, they walked back to the apartment ("Our apartment," Itachi always emphasized with a smirk.) to have dinner. As they stood side by side chopping cucumbers for a salad, Sakura suddenly turned to look at him

"Do you think we're a boring couple?" Sakura queried. Itachi eyed the knife held loosely in her hand.

"If I give you the wrong answer, will you stab me?" he responded gravely. Sakura fixed him with a pointed look.

"Why? Are you bored?" Itachi asked.

"No."

"Then we're not boring," he declared so easily that she almost felt stupid for having asked the question at all. Mollified, Sakura turned back to peeling the vegetables.

The next day at school, Ino and Hinata sat recounting their romantic Valentine's Day dates. Shikamaru, surprisingly, had thought to take Ino to a nice Italian restaurant while Naruto and Hinata had gone to the movies together. Sakura almost hesitated to share her story. But when she listed off the things she had done, Ino and Hinata suddenly became very quiet.

"That sounds…" Ino began as she looked over at Hinata.

"Really comfortable," Hinata finished for her. Sakura raised her eyebrows at them.

"You guys have such a low-pressure relationship. I'm jealous. It's like you're soul mates or something," Ino added, wrinkling her nose in exaggerated disgust. Flashing an evil grin, Sakura snatched up the last of Ino's favorite cherry tomatoes.

"YOU TRAITOR!" Ino shouted as she jabbed at Sakura's sides with her chopsticks and Hinata laughed at her friends' antics.

The rest of February passed in a busy array of paperwork and applications and scholarships. Sakura met with one of the administrators at Konoha University to explain that she wanted to go abroad her freshman year. She half-expected some sort of red tape to hold her back. Surprisingly, her choice wasn't an uncommon one and the friendly older woman had helped her through the process. With all the letters and signatures sent off in the mail, there wasn't much left to do but relax.

The only thing that had really changed was her work at school. Seniors were exempted from final exams and attendance wasn't really even mandatory at this part. Still, Sakura went to deal with tying up loose ends for the student council. She occasionally saw her friends as they popped in and out for clubs or just to visit her as she worked. Ino showed up on more than one occasion with a roll cake and cartons of strawberry milk to keep Sakura company as she worked. Sakura didn't say anything but she knew it was because Ino was feeling some guilt over leaving her with all the class representative work the year before.

And for the first time in such a long time, Sakura had time to really dance.

She spun across the polished wood floors and threw herself into the music. Sometimes the world twirled sideways as she moved so quickly. And sometimes it felt like the ground was moving so fast underneath her soles that it might go on spinning without her. But as long as there was a beat to cling to, she was never completely lost.

There were no performances to get ready for. There was no real choreography to learn. Most of her hours went by letting her body flow to whatever new songs were on the radio that day. Sometimes she worked out routines with Kisame or Itachi since Deidara and Sasori were completely consumed with trying to finish their work for the show next month. She took a few days to learn how to do the foxtrot with Itachi. Kisame roared with laughter as he took videos and uploaded them to the internet.

March was coming.

Sometimes Sakura reminded herself of this and she almost felt sick to her stomach with the anxiety of it all.

In a rare moment when everyone was together, Kisame brought up the topic.

"Kitten's graduating soon," Kisame suddenly remarked.

"Don't remind me. It makes me feel so old, yeah," grumbled Deidara.

"What'll we even do when you're gone, Sakura-chan? I can't even remember what we did before you," sighed Kisame in an ancient voice.

"Probably wallow in despair," Sasori responded.

Someone should have come up with a witty comeback. But it was too real so they all regarded each other and then let out a unanimous sigh. Deidara fell over sideways to let his head rest in Sakura's lap. And for once, nobody smacked him or called him names.

At the end of February, Sakura sat inside an unfamiliar coffee shop with her phone held in her right hand. She had suddenly gotten a text from Sasori the night before. He had asked her to meet him here in the morning so she had obliged. And because she was impossibly punctual, she had showed up 10 minutes early. That wasn't much of a problem, though. Sasori showed up five minutes early. While Sasori ordered their drinks, Sakura looked around for a nice place to sit and talk. But Sasori took her by the elbow and strolled outside into the cool morning.

"It's cold," Sakura grumped out, snuggling deeper into her thick blue scarf.

"You like the cold," responded Sasori. She bumped her elbow into his side in response.

"Your drink," said Sasori after a minute of walking. Sakura held out her hands, eagerly anticipating the warmth of a hot drink to warm her fingertips. Instead a yelp left her when he slipped the cold plastic into her waiting palms.

"Saso-kun, why'd you get me ice coffee? It's freezing out here!" laughed Sakura. She pulled her sleeves down to cover her hands before gripping her drink again.

"But you always get ice coffee," replied Sasori.

"During the summer, maybe," Sakura pointed out. And she watched as his gold eyes widened. She could see the information clicking together in his brain before he let out a short "Oh". Still, she was grateful for the drink and sipped at it as they continued down the sidewalk.

"So…What's going on? Why would the busy Sasori-sama grace me with his presence?" teased Sakura after a minute. Sasori turned his head to look her as he took a slurp of his iced coffee.

"Human stuff. I'm giving you a talk," was his simple response.

"A talk? We talk all the time," she reminded him. Granted, most of their conversation was about what kinds of foods they liked and insults about Deidara and Kisame. But sometimes they would have real talks too. Like heart-to-heart talks that ended up with her realizing just how thoroughly Sasori understood people. It was as if because he didn't speak as much, he listened and watched twice as well.

"Sakura-chan," Sasori said in as stern a tone as a Sasori could muster.

"Fine," Sakura relented. Their pace slowed to as they began crossing a large bridge. Sasori's eyes were drawn to the gurgling river underneath so Sakura stopped walking to let him watch. His head tilted slightly to one side like it always did when he was thinking very hard. Leaning her forearms against the metal railing, Sakura looked Sasori over.

Sasori was a static person so he had remained relatively unchanged since she had first met him a year ago. He had let some of his earholes close up leaving him with just three piercings in each ear. And he had taken to letting his hair grow out a little bit. Whenever his bangs got into his eyes, he would clip them back and go on with his work. And maybe he had started eating even more lollipops than usual. As she thought this, Sasori pulled a candy out of the pocket of his jacket and began peeling the wrapper.

"Saso-kun?"

"Yes?"

"Why're you so obsessed with candy?" Sakura asked as he popped the lollipop into his mouth.

"They helped me quit smoking," he said. Sakura frowned down at her coffee.

"You smoked?"

"In high school. I quit because it made my teeth yellow," explained Sasori as serenely as usual.

"Oh," Sakura simply added. Another long moment passed before Sasori took a deep breath and then leaned on the railing next to her. He rolled his weight onto his left leg, scuffing at the ground with his right foot as he gathered his words.

"I've watched you grow into a person," he finally declared.

"That's weird to say. I was always a person," Sakura quipped. When she met his stare, she realized that he was being completely serious.

"Not you. You were someone. But not **you**," corrected Sasori. He shook his coffee a little and the ice rattled around inside the clear plastic cup.

"You mean I wasn't 'My-chan' yet?" she laughed. Shaking her head, she took another sip of cool coffee. The sweetness almost hurt her teeth.

"Basically," he conceded. It wasn't quite what he meant but close enough.

"Saso-kun, do you like me?" Sakura suddenly demanded. Well, her words were sudden but the thought wasn't. It had always been a nagging concern in the back of her mind that she couldn't quite ignore.

"Of course," said Sasori as he sounded almost a little offended.

"No, I mean 'like'. As in how a man likes a woman."

It took him a couple seconds to answer this time.

"I could. But I don't," he firmly stated. Sakura stared at him with a blank expression.

"It doesn't matter," Sasori sighed.

"What do you mean it doesn't matter?" she demanded. Lips puckering around her straw, she glowered at him. He shifted his weight to his other foot. His answering shrug earned him the bump of her hip against the side of his right leg.

"It does because I want to know. What do you mean?" Sakura insisted with such a fierce frown that Sasori caved in.

"Have you ever loved someone so deeply that you would give up anything for them? Have you ever cared about someone enough that their happiness and their success can mean more to you than your own accomplishments?" Sakura felt a lump forming in the back of her throat at Sasori's words. She began to fiercely regret even bringing up the subject. She knew that if she heard a confession from Sasori right now that she would probably fling her coffee into the river and run off blushing and screaming. She was a lot like her father in that she had no idea how to deal with even her own emotions.

"It's this feeling of sincerely wanting the very best of the best for them. But not being interested in intimacy with them whatsoever," added Sasori.

"Huh?" she blurted out.

"I definitely love you, Sakura. You're very important to me and I'll always be thinking about you. But I have absolutely zero romantic interest in you," Sasori said in his signature flat tone. As her heart rate returned to normal, Sakura let out a deep sigh of relief.

"No romantic interest? Whatsoever?"

"Not at all," he confirmed with a sage nod. Sakura's face scrunched up as she thought back to all the times he had made Itachi blanch.

"Then what about all the jokes about going to Fiji or marrying me?" she inquired.

"Because it's fun to tease Itachi," was his honest reply. Gulping down another mouthful of coffee, Sakura slowly shook her head.

"Is that too cruel? I'm sorry," Sasori stated.

"No you're not," she giggled as she remembered Itachi's stony expression each time Sasori threw out one of his usual threats to whisk her off to a romantic country of sparkling beaches and sunset walks along the sand.

"You're right. I'm not sorry at all," he agreed, slowly bobbing his head.

"You're horrible, Saso-kun," Sakura grumbled mostly under her breath. They stood in amicable quiet there for a while, just listening to the rush of passing water for a long time before either of them made any noise again. This time, it was Sasori who broke the silence.

"Why? Would you prefer that I was in love with you? I guess I could pretend to be if that's what you need," Sasori offered. In response, Sakura furiously shook her head.

"What is this, some badly written daytime drama? No thank you. One is more than enough for me to handle," she huffed.

"I could reveal that you and I are secretly half-siblings halfway through the series," Sasori tacked on, seriously considering all the clichéd plot twists beaten to death by the media.

"Saso-kun," Sakura groaned.

"Or I could reveal that Itachi's father and mine had some serious grudge and that I'm determined to carry on his revenge for him?" he suggested too.

"Stop being weird, Saso-kun!" Sakura scolded as she shoved into his side again. Sasori glanced down at her for a moment before he put his arm around her in a one-armed hug.

"No," he flatly said. Even without looking at him, Sakura knew he would be smiling just the tiniest bit.

* * *

There was just one other notable event in the month of February. Besides the jokes and the laughter and the warm swath of happiness Sakura had wrapped herself in, there was one thing that shook her deeply. Almost to the core.

As she contacted her father and his family in America, she discovered that Jennifer seemed to like her so much- maybe even more than she liked her own husband. If Sakura called, Ryuu would maybe get in a few minutes before the phone was torn away and Jennifer burst in like a ray of sunshine. She was fascinated by every aspect of Sakura's life. She laughed exuberantly when she heard about the amusing stories and huffed with real anger when Sakura recounted the bad. Jennifer sighed like a fresh-faced schoolgirl whenever Sakura brought up Itachi too.

It seemed almost impossible that such a stepmother could exist.

She was so perfect that she broke Sakura's heart.

Almost at the end of February, Sakura and Itachi came home after a long afternoon of dance and then dinner with Kisame. As Itachi sorted through the letters they had picked up from their box downstairs, Sakura checked her phone for new emails. Unsurprisingly, there was a new message from her father.

"Dad wants to know if I have any food allergies," Sakura read out loud. When she passed by Itachi, he nudged her arm with something and she took it without looking. Only after she finished typing out a response did Sakura finally notice that it was a thick white envelope sent from America. The return address confirmed that it was from her father's house. Face puckering with confusion, Sakura held the letter out to Itachi who looked equally perplexed.

"I wonder if it's more paperwork," she mused as she opened up the envelope and pulled out its contents. There was some sort of handwritten letter and from the slightly awkward strokes, she knew that it was from Jennifer and not her father. There were some photos of Yuki and some of the three together doing things like walking in the park or playing at home. At the very bottom of the pile, there was another smaller envelope made of lighter paper.

"What's that?" inquired Itachi. He glanced at it for a moment before moving away to take off his coat and hang it on the rack. When Sakura didn't answer, he looked at her again.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" he demanded, slipping his arms around her. She didn't understand his concern until he reached up to touch her cheek. Tears glistened on the tips of his fingers that she almost didn't understand as hers until she felt her eyes stinging. Sniffing, she tried to wipe her face dry with her sleeve.

"Oh, just…an ultrasound. Look," Sakura cheerfully said, holding it up for him to see. Jennifer had placed a post-it on top with the words 'It's not a girl. It's a boy!' written on it. Itachi stared at it for a long time before his gaze focused back on her.

"It's alright to be upset, Sakura," he began in a gentle tone that stung at her already throbbing heart. She shook her head so hard that it began to hurt.

"No, no, no, I'm not sad. I'm just excited! I'm just so…" she trailed off when Itachi pressed his lips to her temple.

"I'm really sad… Why am I so sad?" Sakura whispered, staring into his eyes like she might find an answer there. But Itachi looked just as perplexed as she felt. She stood there wrapped up in his arms for quite some time before she could sort out the muddled twist of her emotions.

"Do you think they were as excited about me before I was born?" she suddenly inquired. It took Itachi a second to decipher her words. But then he was hugging her closer, tucking her under his chin where she fit so perfectly.

"I'm sure they couldn't wait to meet you," he assured her.

"Am I being ridiculously spoiled?"

He didn't have to hesitate this time.

"Perfectly, wonderfully spoiled," Itachi responded as he let her cry like a little girl.

So when Sakura sent an email to Jennifer later that evening, she thanked her for the wonderful photos and congratulated her on having another son.

Because that was what adults did: they smiled through the pain so the world could continue spinning.

* * *

I'm a little sorry that this chapter did end on such a sad note. And I'm also a little sorry that it's taken me so long to get this stupid chapter up. Thanks to everyone still sticking around to deal with my nonsense.

Be sure to leave a review if you liked this chapter! There's only one left so here's basically your last chance to make your opinions known!


	26. Last Scene

It's hard to believe that this is the end. After over 2 years it's kind of weird to think that I've managed to actually stick to this project. A million and five thanks to all of you readers out there whether you've reviewed and favorited and subscribed or not. It's been really insane but also really fun.

(100 points to the first person who can tell me which band's song the chapter title comes from.)

* * *

Fancy Footwork

Chapter 26: Last Scene

"Oh Kunio-san! I love you!"

"Ryoko-san, let's never be apart ever again!"

Popcorn spilled out of Kisame's mouth like a disgusting waterfall. Beside him, Sasori bit down so hard on his lollipop that he sawed the stick in two between his molars.

"What," Sasori said while the credits slowly rolled up the screen.

On the floor Sakura, who had been blowing on her toes to dry nail polish, froze with her cheeks still puffed out. She slowly lifted her gaze to the television and heard the slam of Itachi's coffee cup landing on the coffee table.

"How?" Kisame demanded as he pointed an accusatory finger at where there had once been two smooching characters.

"He cheated on her, yeah!" protested Deidara.

"And she went off and had another man's baby," added Sakura.

"But did he- just what… Did he propose to her?" Itachi inquired very slowly.

"C-section scar and all. I hope they don't plan to go to Fiji for their honeymoon," Sasori sighed while casting Sakura a pointed look. Rolling her eyes, Sakura shook her head.

"Whose idea was it to watch this stupid show, yeah? I want to punch him in the face," huffed Deidara. Itachi picked up the remote control and powered the screen off while everyone else screwed their faces up in deep thought. It took a moment and then Sakura twisted around to look at him.

"Wasn't it…your idea, Dei-chan?"

It fell silent.

"Stupid," Kisame finally snorted.

"Shut up, Anglerfish," muttered Deidara as his cheeks turned pink.

"Ugh. I don't even know how this show made it to 12 episodes. I would've pulled the plug after that episode where Ryuzaki-san found out his girlfriend was his long-lost second-cousin," Sakura complained as she resumed fanning her toes to help the nail polish dry faster.

"Really? I thought you liked sappy romances and stuff," Kisame chortled.

"If there's substance, yeah. But all these female characters are just crying and cheating and going after guys with money. Why does she have to date the rich guy? Why doesn't she just get a job instead so she can earn money?" Sakura argued.

"My-chan, you're undermining decades of patriarchal oppression of women in the media. It's not supposed to make sense, yeah," interjected Deidara with a snort of laughter. It was Sasori's turn to roll his eyes. He leaned over toward Sakura and Itachi.

"Ever since he took one class on gender studies, he thinks he knows everything," he muttered.

"Hey! I heard that! I'm telling you! I'm just taking these dumb classes to pick up chicks, yeah!" Deidara protested a little too loudly.

"Anyway, now that we're done watching that horrendous excuse for a show, what's next on the list?" Itachi interrupted over the sound of Deidara's half-articulated excuses. Kisame reached into his pocket and uncrumpled a list written on the back of an old receipt.

"Let's see. We did that, we did that…Oh! Next is visit the beach during the off season," Kisame read. Sakura and Itachi exchanged looks. Giving them a guilty smile, Sakura shrugged.

"Oh come on! You two mushy idiots have done like half the stuff on this list without us, yeah!" Deidara huffed. Sakura simply shrugged again.

"What's the whole point of this list anyway, Dei-chan?" she inquired, leaning back against Itachi's legs. Itachi smoothed his hand down her hair and then let it rest on her shoulder. Surprisingly, Deidara's ears grew a little red. He yanked the list out of Kisame's hands and quickly stuffed it into his pocket.

"I thought…this kind of stuff is on every girl's bucket list," he muttered.

Getting to his feet, Kisame dusted his pants off while everyone looked on with interest. He cleared his throat a couple times before fluttering his eyelashes and breaking out in his most high-pitched voice.

"I'll make beautiful memories with Sakura-chan and everyone so I won't cry myself to sleep at night about how lonely I am once she's gone," trilled Kisame.

"I'll KILL YOU, YOU DIRTY TURTLE!" howled Deidara as he sprang to his feet.

But Sakura soon placated Deidara with the assurance, "I think that's sweet, Dei-chan". Sticking his tongue out at Kisame, he plopped down on the floor again. A few seconds passed before Sasori suddenly stretched his arms over his head.

"Deidara and I need to get back to the studio. Thanks for the food and the coffee," said Sasori. He patted her cheek once before going off to get his jacket. Still looking a little grumpy, Deidara squeezed Sakura in a quick hug and stood too. There was the usual shuffling and bumping as they crowded in the foyer to put their shoes back on. Kisame joined them, sending Itachi the least subtle wink in the world.

As they stood waving in the doorway, Sakura tilted her head back so she could look up at Itachi's face.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Just looking," she hummed in response.

She found herself doing that a lot. It was hard to think that she'd have to go an entire year without seeing this face every day. He watched her for a moment before he just nodded.

"Are you hungry?" Itachi suddenly inquired. The abrupt shift in topics jarred her a little but as she watched him slip back into the apartment, Sakura had the strangest feeling that neither of them was being exactly honestly with the other.

In between school and play, Sakura found herself on the phone a lot. Sometimes it was with the study abroad office in New York and sometimes it was to deal with the paperwork for her visa to America. The other times, it was to talk to her mother or to Jennifer about various things. There was the matter of all her luggage and things to ship. After some thought, Sakura had packed up the things she wouldn't need to use immediately and mailed them off to New York so she wouldn't have to deal with the mess later.

One Saturday afternoon, she stood inside the dusty apartment she had spent countless years wandering alone while her mother worked. This was where she had done her homework. She had learned to do laundry and to use the rice cooker without turning the rice to mush. It was a place filled with ghosts, filled with the sounds of laughter from a father who lifted her into his arms long after she had grown too big for that sort of thing. And sometimes, in the corners where cobwebs had gathered, Sakura thought she heard the silent sighs of a single mother looking over bills and wondering where the money would come from. Sakura still didn't know how Kirie had managed to keep everything together in one piece. As far as she was concerned, her mother was the magical one in the family- not her.

Sakura had asked Kirie if she planned to sell the apartment. But Kirie refused so vehemently that it almost startled Sakura.

"What'll you do your sophomore year when you're back from studying abroad? Or were you planning to marry Itachi-kun right away and move in with him?" Kirie teased. Sakura blushed and avoided Itachi's curious gaze.

So the apartment would stay with the power and water shut off. It would wait for her.

And Itachi would wait for her too.

She could feel it in the light touch of his hand on her back as they walked. She could see it in the wordless laugh in his eyes if she caught him looking at her. His lips lingered a little longer; his pensive sighs were drawn out. During the quiet moments as she sat folding laundry, he would look up from his studies with a strange expression, watching her as if she were the most interesting thing in the world. And if their eyes met, he would always smile at her like they were sharing some amazing secret only known by them.

But she would be gone for a year. And they would be apart.

In the meantime, they filled their days with extra laughter, extra kisses and extra hugs so that the emptiness wouldn't seem so empty once it came. Their default poses came down to him studying on one end of the sofa and her sitting at the opposite end with her feet in his lap as she filled out forms and made phone calls.

She made her curry sweet and he liked his ramen a little undercooked. Grocery money was tucked into an old tin can at the back of a cupboard behind wine glasses. Their toothbrushes were placed in a mug in the bathroom- his light green, hers pink. They both showered in the morning, filling the apartment with fragrant steam while one of them cooked breakfast and handed off the spatula when it was their turn to wash. They took to buying coffee in bulk since both of them seemed to gulp down a gallon a day.

Their shoes were always lined up side-by-side in the foyer. Sometimes Sakura would crouch down to stare at them. It was nice, she decided. This way her shoes didn't look so lonely.

"You know, it's kind of funny that Sakura's the one living with her boyfriend," Ino suddenly commented one day after school. Hinata peered up at her with a quizzical expression as she took a sip of her tea. Sakura sat next to her blowing on her mug to cool her drink. After helping Sakura shop for a birthday present for Kisame, Ino had boldly invited herself and Hinata over for dinner. Rolling her eyes, Sakura sent Itachi a text to warn him. The rice cooker hissed softly in the background.

"What do you mean?" asked Sakura. She leaned back on her hands.

"When we were little, you were always the one blushing at the idea of even holding hands with a boy. And now, here you are. Living in sin," Ino declared as she gestured at her surroundings. Hinata looked thoughtful as she turned her gaze to Sakura. Sakura took in Ino's words for a moment before she shoved Ino with her foot, sending her friend toppling over.

"Shut up, Pig," she grumbled. Ino righted herself with a triumphant smile.

"You know I'm right. That's why you're not saying anything," Ino declared. Sakura pushed her over again before lifting her coffee to her lips.

"I'm not saying anything because you're being unbelievably stupid," Sakura snorted.

"But really…" Hinata said softly and the two stopped bickering.

"What's it like living with your boyfriend, Sakura-chan? I'd be so nervous if I was…"

Ino cocked her head to the side.

"That's true. There's a lot of stuff you can't do," Ino added. Letting out a big sigh, Sakura flopped onto her back to stare up at the ceiling. The soft rug cushioned her nicely.

"Like what?" she sighed. Part of her was genuinely curious as to what her friends were thinking. She hadn't really encountered anything particularly uncomfortable while sharing the apartment with Itachi. Though doing laundry together had been somewhat embarrassing (him seeing her clothes and her seeing his), that was something she had quickly overcome. But Ino seemed serious as she listed her complaints on her fingers.

"He sees you without make-up, first of all. And then you either show him all your unpleasant habits or step on eggshells the entire time you're at home with him so you're never really comfortable. When you get close to someone, you start to notice annoying little habits and get pissed off by them. Do you need me to go on?" Ino sighed. At this, Sakura sat up to look at her.

"I don't wear make-up anyway, he doesn't really care, sometimes we argue but then we work something out in the end," Sakura countered with a smug look. But Ino just scowled.

"He can't really be as perfect as he seems. The guy looks like he walked out a fairytale," Ino complained and Hinata nodded a little behind her.

"He's not perfect," Sakura quietly said.

"He's not perfect," she said again, "But he's a really, really great boyfriend."

As Ino and Hinata eyed Sakura and then each other with confusion, the front door swung open. Pushing his damp hair out of his eyes, Itachi propped his soaking umbrella against the wall next to the door. Eyes widening, Sakura hopped to her feet and scurried down the hall. She half-ran back to Itachi who was prying his feet out of soaked shoes.

Hearing her footsteps, Itachi straightened to look up at her through his bangs. Shrugging his coat off, he hung it on the rack to dry. Then he put his arms around her and gave her a frozen peck. Sakura wrinkled her nose.

"Your shirt's wet too!" Sakura exclaimed as she pulled back.

"The rain was kind of coming down sideways. Were you girls alright in the storm?" sighed Itachi. As he spoke, Ino slowly lifted her head and peered owlishly at him over her cup of coffee. Hinata waved timidly.

"It was just barely drizzling when we got here. It was fine," Sakura assured him as she shook her head. Of course Itachi would be on the brink of hypothermia and worried more about her well-being. She grimaced sympathetically when he laid his icy hands on her cheeks.

"Go. I started the bath," she urged as she pushed him in the direction of the bathroom.

"Thanks. I'll come help you with dinner when I'm done," he called while she gave him another shove.

"You don't have to. Now go before you catch a cold!" Sakura ordered. She heard Ino snickering before Itachi's fingers closed around her wrist and yanked her down the hallway so her friends wouldn't be able to see her. Pulling her closer by the waist, he planted a deep kiss on her mouth. With his tongue sliding against hers, it was difficult to gather her thoughts until Ino laughed loudly at something Hinata said. Starting out of her stupor, Sakura shoved against his chest with a frown.

"My friends are over!" she hissed but he just pulled her in for another one. Sighing, she humored him one more time before she pushed him away.

"Really. Go. You're freezing." Itachi licked his lower lip as he arched an eyebrow.

"Yes, dear," he responded with a smug look. Sakura tried to glower at him but it just dissolved into a smile. He turned away toward the bathroom but then paused.

"By the way…I'm home," Itachi greeted her. Even though it seemed like such a trivial thing, he always made sure to say it to her. It was because he knew; he knew that the years of coming home to an empty house was something she had never quite gotten used to. Putting her hands on his shoulders, Sakura rose on her tiptoes to kiss the tip of his nose.

"Welcome home," was her soft response. Itachi's eyes narrowed and then their mouths were connecting again.

"If only we had some privacy," he murmured against her lips.

"Bath," Sakura firmly repeated. She eyed him sternly until Itachi let out a resigned sigh. When Sakura rejoined her friends, Ino waggled her eyebrows until Sakura smacked her in the face with a cushion.

And true to his word, once he was done with his bath, Itachi joined them in the kitchen to help peel potatoes for the stew. Ino mouthed "he's perfect" over Itachi's shoulder so Sakura flicked cold water in her face while Hinata giggled. Seated around the round kitchen table, they laughed and shared stories while chowing down on hot dinner while the frigid rain continued to fall outside.

The end of the school year was rushing at her but at the same time every day felt surreal- almost like the perfect dream to accompany the perfect night's sleep.

It was made up of morning runs accompanied by the sunrise. She visited Deidara and Sasori to watch them run around finishing off the last details for their project. With Kisame she watched music videos on his laptop and then tried to make up new choreography that fit the songs better. And at night, with Itachi, she would take his hand and walk deliberately slowly in the dark. With the buzz of the streetlights hovering above them, they followed the concrete paths weaving through the city they both knew so well. Everything spun past in a blur of wild colors and explosions of music and there was nothing wrong with that. The fingers twisted around hers never slipped.

"You know, you've got a real talent for choreography," Kisame remarked one afternoon as he watched Sakura. She spun on the ball of her right foot to look at him. Blood pumped quickly through her veins. She could hear her own heartbeat in her ears. But it was a good kind of thundering. She was tired but the best kind of tired. There were a million, billion nerves all humming at once under her skin. Flinging her arms up in an exaggerated shrug, Sakura smiled.

"You think so?" she responded with a proud grin. Kisame rolled his eyes.

"Don't get arrogant, Squirrel-chan," Kisame teased as he lightly bopped her on the head. Sakura puffed her cheeks out in an exaggerated pout until they were both laughing.

With all this free time to do whatever she wanted, Sakura found herself doing things she had never really done before. Standing at home, she had taken the time to stare at herself in the full-length mirrors mounted on the closet doors. She turned this way and that, eyeing herself for such a long time that Itachi, who had been sitting on the floor sorting clothes for laundry, reached up to poke her in the back of the leg.

"What're you doing?" he inquired. Sakura couldn't pry her eyes off the mirror. She slowly turned around, watching her backside as she moved. Itachi stared at her too until Sakura spoke.

"I…have lost a phenomenal amount of weight since freshman year," Sakura declared after some thought. Itachi blinked a couple times.

"But..." Sakura continued with a frown, "I haven't actually lost a single pound when I step on the scale." Squinting at herself in the mirror, Sakura prodded experimentally at her stomach. The small amount of squishy flab she had been used to was gone. By no means had she been overweight but now there weren't any places on her body that weren't toned from hours of dance and exercise each day.

"That's because muscle weighs more than fat," Itachi responded patiently. Then he tilted his head a little.

"Are you unhappy with your weight?" he suddenly asked. Sakura turned to look at him.

"What? No! Of course not! I just thought it was weird. The human body is sort of weird," said Sakura with a thoughtful expression. A huff snorted out of Itachi's nostrils. Sakura fixed him with a stern look.

"Are you laughing at me?" she demanded. With a completely innocent expression, he continued sorting the colored clothes from the white ones.

"The weirdest thing in this room is definitely you. Now help me with the laundry," Itachi sighed, tossing a bundle of t-shirts at her.

By March, Sakura had finished training Moegi to take the spot of President. Of course, the student body would vote on it but everyone knew that the vice president always moved up. Though she wasn't the same brand of tough, Moegi was not someone to be taken lightly. With Udon there to help with the technical stuff, the school would run perfectly fine. When Sakura had given Moegi full access to the drawer filled with rejection stamps, a cough of startled laughter exploded from the girl.

"Really? Hyuuga-senpai left these for you?" guffawed Moegi while Sakura tried her best to keep a straight face. But in the end they stared into the ridiculous drawer and laughed and laughed until their sides hurt.

For a few days, the seniors filtered back into the school in preparation for the graduation ceremony. Though some would have groaned at the prospect of being back in school, yearbooks were handed out and it suddenly became a mad dash to get everyone's signatures.

"Kyaa! Uchiha-senpai! Sign ours please!" Sasuke's usual fan club shrieked from outside the classroom. Biting down on the cap of her marker, Sakura shot the door a perplexed look before she bent over Hinata's yearbook.

"They're not even seniors. What'd they pay for a yearbook for?" grumbled Naruto as he leaned back until two of the chair legs were in the air. Of course it was Naruto that voiced what everyone else wasn't bothering to say.

"Probably so they could preserve their beloved senpai's handwriting forever," snickered Ino. She pressed her chin to Sakura's shoulder to watch her write.

"Your handwriting's so nice, Sakura," Ino sighed loudly while her eyes followed the rise and fall of Sakura's hand. The marker made small scratching noises as it moved across the paper. To be perfectly honest, Itachi often commented on her handwriting too. He always said that the way her strokes thickened and curved was very elegant.

"Unlike someone we know," he sometimes muttered, glancing pointedly at Deidara.

"It's an art form, yeah!" Deidara always protested while defending his chicken scratch.

"It's not that nice. Yours is just too messy, Piggy," responded Sakura without looking up. She let out a loud squeal when Ino pinched her side. This initiated a brutal tickle attack from Ino until tears were welling up in Sakura's eyes.

"Quit it, Ino! I can't breathe!" Sakura shrieked with laughter. Grinning deviously, Ino twisted her fingers up into Sakura's armpit. Naruto's eyes went wide as he stared like he was watching a particularly exciting action movie. Even Sai looked up from his drawing with visible interest. While Hinata giggled on the sidelines, only Sasuke seemed to take pity on Sakura's suffering.

"Okay, that's enough sexual harassment," Sasuke intervened. He hooked his arm around Sakura's waist while prying Ino off her with his elbow. Holding the two an arms-length apart, he fixed Ino with a frown.

"You ruin everything, you old man," Ino complained.

"I'm doing this for my own good. If I don't take Sakura's side, she'll make sure my brother and his friends give me hell later," explained Sasuke with a glower aimed at Sakura. Sakura smiled innocently.

"You've gotten so smart, Baby Sasu-chan," she cooed. When she reached out to pinch his cheek, he swatted her hand away with another glare.

"Hey! Where's the Prez? I want her to sign my yearbook!" a loud voice interrupted. Before anyone else could react, Sasuke immediately ducked behind Sakura, trying to hide even though he was a lot taller than her. Karin popped her head into the classroom with her yearbook clutched to her chest.

"Oh! There you are, Sasuke-kun! You can sign it too!" the red-head exclaimed in her usual boisterous tone. Sakura was taken aback.

"Really? You want me to sign?" asked Sakura. She picked up the marker again and resumed writing in the inside of Hinata's cover. Karin set her yearbook down on the desk next to Sakura's hand, as if to claim her spot as next in line. A startled laugh burst out of Karin, making everyone jump a little.

"Why not? You're like one of the coolest people here," snorted Karin so easily that it almost sounded like a lie. Sakura straightened to look at her. Sasuke slowly poked his head up over her shoulder to stare at her too.

"Coolest?" Sasuke repeated almost hesitantly. Crossing her arms over her chest, Ino leaned her hip against the desk and stared at Karin expectantly too. Completely oblivious to the suspicious glares from Sasuke and Ino flanking Sakura, Karin pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose before she spoke.

"You're just….real, you know? Like when you talk to people, you're just…you, I guess?" said Karin with a thoughtful expression. Warmth rose to her cheeks at the unexpected compliment. Sasuke slowly turned his head to stare at her and then grimaced.

"Gross. Don't…It's bad enough seeing you all giggling and blushing around my brother," Sasuke hissed, poking at her side with his elbow. Trying her best to keep a straight face, Sakura ignored him.

"Hey! Uzumaki! We've been waiting for Haruno-chan to sign ours forever! Get in line," one of the girls in class complained. When eyes turned to her, she stuck her tongue out at Karin.

"Yeah, Haruno-chan's **our** classmate so we called dibs," someone else chimed in. Swallowing down a confused laugh, Sakura signed her name with a flourish and then picked up Karin's book.

"Look at Miss Popular," Sasuke muttered under his breath. When she bumped her hip into his, Sasuke stared up at Sakura who just grinned back at him until his lips started to quirk upwards too. Before she could tease him, Sasuke fixed her with a look.

"Just shut up and write, _Prez_," he grumbled.

* * *

Graduation was a surprisingly cheerful affair. Sakura had half-expected tearful farewells and drawn-out sobs. She had told her friends that she would be catching her plane the next morning. Surprisingly, Ino didn't burst into hysterics and throw a tantrum and Naruto didn't pass out. The only thing they had done is make her promise not to leave without saying goodbye first. That being said, the lack of extreme emotions in the face of her departure felt a little strange to Sakura. Her friends had always been known for being volatile and overly emotional if anything.

The ceremony, as expected, was long. Konoha High was a big school and there were a lot of names to read and even more things to be said. As the principal stood reading off his speech in his usual booming tone, Sakura glanced across the row to meet Hinata's eyes. They exchanged smiles: Hinata's exhilarated beam matched Sakura's excited grin before they turned their attentions back forward. Everything was such a rush. The orchestra played, the teachers came up to speak, and then it was suddenly turn for Sakura to give her speech. She briefly felt for the few notecards in her pocket but then decided that she didn't really need them. She already knew what she was going to say. As she walked onstage and up to the podium, a loud cheer rose from her classmates. Naruto's whistle was the loudest, predictably.

As she looked over at the crowd of faces, a sudden and almost sickening longing punched her in the gut.

"I was going to start off with some clever joke about how Hatake-sensei's probably thinking about puppies right now but now that doesn't seem fair to embarrass him in front of our parents

There was a scattering of laughter.

"I'll start off with this instead: How proud are you right now? Of yourselves? Of each other? Because I'm really proud." Sakura paused to look around the gym one more time. All eyes were fixed on her, including the parents seated off to the side. She thought she spotted Gai-sensei dabbing his cheeks with a handkerchief in the back.

"Most of us have been in this city since we were in elementary school. I remember a lot of us missing teeth and scratching up our knees because we were just kids. Babies, really. Even now, it's kind of strange to think that we'll all be moving on after this. Some of us will get jobs. Some will go on to school. And maybe some of us will go travel the world. I don't know." This time Sakura had to pause because she could feel a little lump rising in her throat. Not because of her words. It was because Mikoto and Fugaku were sitting among the parents and Mikoto looked like she was on the verge of tears. Blinking quickly, Sakura turned her attention back to her classmates.

"Okay, look, I'm not going to give some pretentious speech about how we're such grown-ups or that we'll all become future leaders and reshape the world. I'm also not going to say that we're cogs in the system and that we're victims. Because we're not. We're us. I'm me. You're you." It was suddenly so quiet in the gym that the sound of Ebisu-sensei's tiny cough was thunderous. He looked embarrassed and quickly tried to stifle the noise.

"What I'm really trying to say is that you guys have made this an amazing three years. It's been really fun and it's also been a lot of money repairing all the windows the baseball club has broken," Sakura said. More chuckles arose. Kiba, captain of the baseball team, raised his hand in a joking apology. His friends thumped him on the back as they snickered.

"It's also been a lot of work trying to figure out why the pottery club still insists on a snack budget after three years of rejections." Several stares turned to Chouji who shrugged and silently put his hand back in his pocket to feel the potato chips he had stashed there.

"And I guess the best part was really getting to know all of you guys. And I'm sorry for all the people I don't know better because in reality, three years is just too short." The smiles faded now.

"It feels long, right? When you're in school, even that five minutes before the bell rings is so amazingly long. But really, you blink, and you're sitting here in these chairs waiting for a diploma." A few heads nodded and some people looked pensive. Naruto leaned forward in his seat, elbows on his knees and wearing an intense expression. A few seats away, Sasuke stared at her with an expectant expression. Their eyes met and she definitely saw him smirk a little.

"But isn't that amazing? In that one blink, you did all of this. Imagine what we can do with all the rest of our lives? Maybe you'll blink again and you'll have a family. Or you'll blink and you'll be the head of a company. We don't know what can happen in that short moment of a blink and that's what makes us so amazing. We have the potential to make our lives exactly what we want them to be. Maybe life won't go exactly in the same direction that you'd expect it to. There will always be detours and some bumps and maybe a big pothole or two but that doesn't matter. You started at the start. And you'll end at the finish line."

Sakura took a deep breath.

"This is the start. This is where we begin. And even though this is where most of us will part ways, that's alright. Everyone who finishes the race is a winner."

Shining eyes were fixed on her. Sakura smiled.

"And everyone who finishes meets at the finish line. So let's meet again. After we blink."

Throat thick with emotion, she slowly walked off the stage as her classmates erupted into applause. One of the guys from the basketball club began sniffling and his friends chorused in with laughter. Hands reached out to pat her arms as she walked back to her seat. There were the usual calls of "we love you, prez" and "great speech, prez". But the voices that truly mattered were quiet. She looked up and found Hinata with her eyes spilling over with tears. Naruto tried to hold his head high, biting his quavering lower lip. Sasuke dipped his head in a nod and from a few seats ahead, Sai smiled in his awkward but endearing way. Ino was ugly-crying as she tried her hardest not to smear her make-up but that was alright because she looked pretty anyway.

After the ceremony was over, the students rushed out into the courtyard to greet their families and to socialize. As soon as Sakura stepped out into the sunlight, she was met with the Uchiha family.

"That was a beautiful speech, Sakura-chan. We're so proud of you," Mikoto said rather tearfully before she enveloped Sakura in a motherly hug. Over her shoulder, Fugaku nodded solemnly. Sasuke looked vaguely embarrassed by the scene but didn't say anything and just shoved his hands into the pockets of his uniform. It was strange to think that this would be the last time she would ever see her friends wearing these familiar clothes.

"Take a picture of us, would you, Ino?" Sasuke half-requested, half-ordered as he tossed Ino his camera. Mikoto put her right arm around Sakura's waist and her left around Sasuke's shoulders. Fugaku stood to Sasuke's left, one hand pressed firmly to his younger son's shoulder. For an instant, it almost felt like these were her parents coming to see her. It was like she fit in so well to this family portrait that is scared her a little. But then the camera flashed and the moment was over and Mikoto's eyes were spilling over with tears again.

"You're such a wonderful young lady. I only wish Kirie-senpai was here to see you too," Mikoto sniffed as she patted Sakura's hair and then her cheek. Sakura bit the inside of her lip while she smiled.

"She'd be here if she could. She's pretty swamped with work right now," Sakura assured her. Mikoto's mouth opened but then it clamped shut again as her gaze fixated on something just past Sakura's face. Sakura was about to turn to see what Mikoto was staring at when a bouquet of white lilies was thrust into her nose. Letting out a yelp, Sakura just stared at the fragrant blooms until they slowly lowered and she was met with Itachi's face hovering just over her left shoulder.

"You came!" she exclaimed, throwing herself into his arms. He smelled like printer ink and musty old books so she knew he had run straight from work. The sound of his deep chuckle rang surprisingly clear even through the chatter of families crowded around the courtyard. Depositing the bouquet into her arms, Itachi put one hand on his hip.

"I appealed to what was left to my boss' humanity. He let me go an hour early," explained Itachi. Sakura rose on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. Sasuke sighed loudly when Itachi instead tilted his head to capture her mouth.

"Stop it. Your parents are watching," she whispered as she pulled her face away from his.

"Oh don't mind us, dears. We just hope you're being safe," Mikoto laughed.

"MIKOTO-SAN!"

"MOTHER!"

"MOM!"

"MIKOTO!" The last gasp came from Fugaku whose normally stoic face had turned very red. Mikoto only laughed harder while Sasuke looked ready to throw himself in front of the nearest speeding car.

"Oh look, it's Inoichi-san and his wife. We should go say hi," Mikoto suddenly said as she spotted Ino's parents. Taking her husband's arm, Mikoto steered him off, making sure to wink at Sakura over her shoulder. Slapping her hand over her face, Sakura let out a laugh that sort of sounded like a cry of pain.

"Our mother," Itachi and Sasuke sighed in unison.

"Now I know why Sasuke-kun's so strange," she sighed in response. Itachi tried to disguise his snort of laughter as a cough but Sasuke still glowered at him.

"Congrats on graduating, little brother. I'm proud of you," Itachi quickly said to steer the topic in a more friendly direction. Sasuke's frown faded a little. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets before shrugging.

"Thanks. It's not like I was in danger of not graduating though," Sasuke muttered nonchalantly. But Sakura saw the way his eyes darted over to his older brother a couple of times and she sighed. Even after years of growing until they were almost the same height, Sasuke still hadn't gotten rid of his secret brother complex. It was cute in a strange sort of way.

"Well I'm proud of you too, Sasuke-kun," she butted in with a grin. For a moment, it looked like Sasuke would roll his eyes but then Sasuke's mouth quirked up in a smile.

"Thanks, _sis_," Sasuke responded. Sniffing back the tears that suddenly pooled in her eyes, Sakura scowled as hard as she could.

"Stupid Sasuke-kun. I'll miss your dumb face when I leave," she admitted. As she rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand, Sasuke let out a short huff of laughter.

"We'll both be in New York, idiot. We can meet up for dinner or something every once in a while," assured Sasuke in such a matter-of-fact tone.

"Well…not too often," he added after Itachi's eyes narrowed.

"What's this? Sakura-chan going on dinner dates with the asshole?" Naruto exclaimed as he threw himself at Sakura. Throwing his arms around her in a huge hug, the blond sighed dramatically.

"Oh fickle love," Naruto gushed.

"Don't be disgusting, moron Get off her," Sasuke snapped as he shoved Naruto aside.

"It must be his time of the month. He's being all pouty," Naruto stage-whispered to Sakura.

"Knock it off, Naruto. I'm not going to be around to mediate your stupid arguments this summer so you have to promise to be good," Sakura scolded half-seriously. Naruto saluted her with a grave expression.

"And you've got to take good care of Hinata-chan while I'm gone," she added and Naruto's goofy smile disappeared.

"I'd take good care of her regardless, Sakura-chan. I love her," Naruto said with a slightly wounded expression.

"I know. It's just me. I worry too much, remember?" she assured him. Naruto's grin returned.

"Yeah. Worrywart Sakura-chan. Have fun in America. I won't come see you off tomorrow because I'd cry and embarrass you," Naruto chuckled as he pulled her in for another hug.

"What! No fair! Naruto got here first!" Ino complained as she hurried over with Shikamaru in tow. As soon as Naruto stepped away, Ino hooked her arm through Sakura's. Lifting her cell phone up in front of them, Ino barely gave Sakura time to smile before she hit the button and the flash went off. Blinking rapidly against the spots of color waving in front of her eyes, Sakura shoved Ino with her hip.

"That's like sniping someone except with a camera. Besides, shouldn't we wait for Hinata-chan?" she scolded while Ino examined the picture carefully.

"Huh? Oh, Hinata-chan said she'd be here in a minute. She's trying to dump her old man on Sasuke-kun's parents so she can come over," Ino informed them. And as Ino spoke, Sakura caught sight of Hinata's shiny hair bobbing through the crowd toward them. As soon as Hinata joined their little group, Sakura and Ino threw their arms over Hinata's shoulders, squishing her between them.

"Where's Sai-kun?" Hinata inquired as she looked around once.

"Good question," Sakura responded. She turned her head to glance around for a moment before Ino cupped her free hand around her mouth and yelled, "HEY! SAI-KUN! WHERE ARE YOU?" Shikamaru muttered something that sounded like, "Loud woman."

"You're so embarrassing, Ino. Everyone's staring at us now," Sakura complained. But Ino shook her head.

"Nope. People are probably waiting to pounce on our dearest Sasuke-kun so they can ask for his buttons," Ino cackled while Sasuke's eyes nervously darted around. Clearing his throat, Sasuke took a few steps to the left until he was hidden behind Shikamaru. It was at this time that Sai walked over with a pleasant smile.

"I thought I heard a beautiful voice calling to me," Sai greeted them. Ino jabbed her pointer finger into his chest.

"Hey, jackass, Sakura told me you always mean the opposite of what you say. Are you calling me ugly?" demanded Ino with an extra poke. Rubbing at the sore spot on his chest, Sai looked to Sakura standing behind Ino. When Sakura shook her head in warning, Sai seemed to understand that his life was in danger.

"Of course not, Miss Beautiful," he responded. Ino scrutinized him for a while but then she shrugged.

"Ugh, Sakura-chan, you just lost me 1000 yen," Naruto grumbled. She turned to see him handing money over to Sasuke.

"He bet that Sai would get punched by Ino by graduation," explained Sasuke.

"Morons," Sakura muttered to Hinata. Though she looked like she wanted to defend her boyfriend, Hinata glanced back at Naruto's proud smile. Placing her hand on her cheek, Hinata let out a deep sigh. Ino patted the top of her head while Sakura put her arm around her shoulders.

"What am I going to do with him?" Hinata wondered out loud. Stifling their laughter, Ino and Sakura peered over their shoulders. Naruto's smile faded as he turned to Sasuke.

"What'd I do wrong?!" Naruto demanded. He seized Sasuke by the shoulders and shook him until Sasuke smashed his fist down on top of his head.

"How should I know, idiot?!" Sasuke yelled back just as loud.

"OKAY LET'S TAKE A PICTURE BEFORE ONE OF THESE KIDS GETS A BLACK EYE!" Ino loudly interrupted them.

"Here, we can use mine," Shikamaru offered while pulling a small camera out of his pocket. He glanced around at their group for a moment.

"Hey, Itachi-nii-chan, do you mind taking it?" asked Naruto. Shikamaru tossed the camera to Itachi just before Ino grabbed him and pulled him closer to their friends. At first there was some pushing and finagling to get everyone to fit into the frame comfortably. In the end, Sai, Naruto, Sasuke and Shikamaru stood in the back while Ino, Sakura and Hinata stood in the front. Though they tried for a more mature pose, Ino flung her arms around Sakura's neck and hung off her. In response, Sakura hooked the arm still holding the bouquet through Hinata's and threw up a V-sign with her free hand. Seeing this lack of decorum, Naruto shoved past Sasuke and threw himself on the ground in front of the girls, striking his best seductive pose with one leg bent and his head propped up in his right hand. The flash went off and captured Sasuke's attempt to not laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of his friends. Shikamaru, hands perpetually in his pockets, merely yawned. Sai's stiff and awkward smile hadn't changed either.

They took a few more pictures together and then Ino bossed the couples around for their photos too. It seemed that as soon as their photo shoot was over, a strange look came over Sasuke's face.

"Oh no," he whispered. Everyone stared at him.

"They're coming," explained Sasuke. Though everyone else still looked confused, Sakura heard something in the distance.

"SASUKE! THERE YOU ARE!"

"Help me," Sasuke whispered as he looked around at his friends. But everyone grinned and then shrugged.

"Sorry, man. You're on your own," Naruto said. As soon as he had spoken, Sasuke was smothered in a hug from either side. Squeezing him tight, Hozuki Jugo lifted Sasuke into the air, carrying his stepbrother with him.

"Where've you been, man? We've been looking for you!" Jugo boomed.

"Can't breathe, Jugo," Suigetsu squeaked out. Apologizing profusely, Jugo placed them back on the ground. Rubbing at his sore chest, Sasuke glowered at them.

"Get out of here. Whenever you two clowns show up, you always bring-"

"Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke blanched. He automatically looked to Sakura who was busy laughing at his predicament. Itachi stood next to her with a knowing smirk of his own. Whipping his head around, he saw Karin running toward him with her arms outstretched. Before he could dodge, she flung herself at him.

"There you are! I wanted to get to you before all the other girls could!" she huffed, clearly out of breath from all her hurrying. Knowing where this was going, Sakura exchanged looks with Hinata and Ino who looked sympathetic and highly amused respectively.

"Sasuke-kun, can I have your second button?" requested Karin in a sweet voice as she pointed at the shining gold button for his school blazer. Naruto let out a loud catcall that Sai quickly cut off by stepping on his foot.

Sasuke stared down at Karin's finger. He looked up, watched her expression carefully, and then twisted around to look at Sakura and Itachi. When Sakura just shrugged, Sasuke scoffed and then turned back to Karin. Her red eyes sparkled with expectation as she waited for his response. Sasuke pondered before he grasped the button and, with a sharp tug, yanked it off to hand to her. Tears filled her eyes as the button landed in her outstretched palm.

"I guess if I'm giving it away, I might as well give it to you. You're probably the least annoying out of all those girls, Uzumaki," Sasuke grunted. Naruto cupped his hands around his mouth again but Sai lifted his foot. Sulking, Naruto stuffed his hands into his back pockets. Something glinted in Karin's eyes in that instant.

"Oh no. Poor girl," Ino whispered. Hinata clutched Sakura's hand. She had never been good at watching sad stories anyway. Sasuke's rejections were notoriously brutal.

"Sasuke-kun, I love you," Karin declared with her shoulders squared and her head held high. It seemed to go silent for a moment and a few nearby heads even swiveled to watch what was going on. Sasuke's eyebrows lowered and his lips curled downwards. But just before he could throw some cold-hearted insults at the girl, Sakura caught his gaze.

'Be nice to her!' Sakura mouthed. Though Sasuke rolled his eyes, he turned back to Karin.

"Look. Thanks. I'm flattered. But I'm going to another country so something like that wouldn't work out," Sasuke sighed. Karin was completely quiet as his words soaked in. Sakura braced herself for quivering lower lips and angry tears as she ran off. But then Karin seemed to brush off the rejection with her usual boisterous smile.

"That's okay. I figured. I just wanted to tell you since we're graduating now. Thanks for listening," said Karin. A queer expression came over Sasuke as they watched the red-head turn and walk off. Just as Sakura went to praise Sasuke on his civility, Karin turned around again.

"Oh, I almost forgot to say! I'll see you in New York, Sasuke-kun and Kaichou!" she called. Sakura and Sasuke looked at each other.

"What?" they both said back to her. Karin grinned.

"I was accepted to the St. John's pharmacy program so I guess you won't be missing me!" the girl laughed while running off. Sasuke looked like he might be sick. Patting the back of his head, Sakura stared disbelievingly at Karin prancing out past the school gates.

"Screw you and your family, Naruto," Sasuke muttered. For once, Naruto didn't return the insult. Scratching his head, Naruto stared off at his cousin.

"Aw I'm sorry, dude," sighed Naruto.

As expected, a flock of girls descended on Sasuke and Naruto to demand for the rest of their buttons and their name tags. Thanks to some quick thinking on Sakura's part, Naruto had already given his second button to Hinata before the chaos. Cradling the button in her hand, Hinata fawned over the trinket, seemingly oblivious to Naruto being torn apart by underclassmen. Sasuke, in a much less orthodox fashion, ripped the rest of his buttons off and threw them into the crowd of girls before escaping.

"They look like pigeons," he remarked as he hid behind Ino and Sakura some distance away. The distraction also gave a very battered Naruto the opportunity for an escape. He flung himself into their group, sagging against Shikamaru who probably just didn't care enough to push him away. Watching the girls peck at the ground in search of shiny buttons filled Sakura with a strange mixture of pity and amusement.

"Well while they're distracted, let's make a sneaky getaway. I'm thinking ramen?" Ino suggested with a wink. Naruto's head perked up.

"Ramen?" he repeated excitedly.

So, cheering and chattering, they made their way through the throngs of students and parents taking photos and crying together. Sakura looked back at the big white building where she had spent the last three years. Somehow, she had expected to be more depressed about leaving this place behind. But now, there was neither sadness nor relief. When he noticed that she had stopped walking, Itachi hung back too. Reaching over, he slid his fingers between hers, locking them together.

"Is everything okay?" Itachi asked in a low voice so no one else would hear. Snapping out of her stupor, Sakura looked at him with a smile.

"I think so," she slowly replied. Sakura looked up and found Mikoto and Fugaku approaching them with Ino and Naruto's parents in tow.

"Sasu-chan texted us to say we should all go out to eat. I'm guessing since Kushina-chan's here we should all get ramen," Mikoto said with a pointed look at Naruto's mother. Kushina laughed, full-bellied and loud.

"Fine but we're splitting the bill. I shudder to think how much we'll have to pay for Naruto alone," complained Kushina.

"Quit it, Mom!" Naruto yelled back.

"15 bowls last time, precious son!" Kushina hollered back just as loud.

Dinner was loud and took up most of the small restaurant. Sakura sat wedged between Itachi and Sasuke, spending most of the night yelling at Naruto to chew with his mouth closed and slapping Sasuke's chopsticks away when he tried to pluck the cherry tomatoes from her side salad. Sai took candid photos of everyone while they ate, nearly earning a black eye from Ino. Halfway through the meal, Sakura's phone buzzed. She answered the call without thinking and Deidara's voice exploded out.

"WE'RE SORRY WE COULDN'T COME, MY-CHAN, YEAH!" Deidara shouted, clearly on the very edge of sanity. Sighing heavily, Sakura exchanged a look with Itachi who looked like he was trying his very best not to start laughing.

"That's alright, Dei-chan. You and Saso-kun have the show tomorrow, right?" said Sakura in a soothing voice. It almost sounded like Deidara was actually on the verge of tears.

"We have precisely 14 hours until then. Hello, Sakura-chan. I've had about 9 cups of coffee in the past two hours," Sasori's voice serenely interrupted.

"Don't go overboard, okay?" she warned, just a little more than worried about Sasori's heart health. She wondered how much coffee it would take to kill someone. But Sasori interrupted her thoughts.

"What time's your flight tomorrow?" Sasori inquired. Deidara suddenly went quiet.

"YEAH, WHAT TIME?" someone interrupted.

"Kisame?" she and Itachi said at once. There was some booming laughter to answer.

"Came to offer moral support. Congratulations, Little Kitten. Sorry I couldn't make it but I'm taking an online exam right now and the studio has the best wi-fi on campus," Kisame explained. Sakura could hear him typing away as he spoke.

"That's okay. And thanks, Sakkun," offered Sakura with a little disappointment.

"But really. What time?" he inquired again. Sakura blinked. She had almost forgotten the question.

"Um, boarding time is 7 am. So I need to get there around 5," she responded.

"But you don't need to come see me! You should get some rest!" Sakura hurriedly added when she realized what he was planning.

"Shut up, My-chan. We'll see you tomorrow morning," Deidara snorted. There was a slight pause and then Deidara let out a loud sniff.

"Anyway, we love you lots. We still have work to do so we'll see you tomorrow, yeah!" Deidara blurted out. Just before the line cut off, Sakura heard him yell "FUCK YOU, I'M NOT CRYING, YOU UGLY FRESHWATER MINNOW, YEAH!"

Staring down at her phone, Sakura stifled a laugh. Itachi, who had leaned in to eavesdrop in on the rest of the conversation, let out a deep breath.

"He's going to be a crying wreck tomorrow too," remarked Itachi. Sakura just nodded and then went back to slurping down her ramen.

The families parted ways after dinner. Though all of them wanted to hang out for longer, Sakura still had stuff left to pack and an early flight to catch. There was a lot of hugging and some crying on Naruto's part. Well, to call it crying would be a euphemism. For Naruto, true crying involved snot and hiccupping and it just wasn't a pretty sight. Hinata managed to calm him down, but with his puffy eyes and red nose, he tried his best to hide his face while Sasuke tried his best to hide his smirk. Ino cried too, of course, smearing her mascara and giving herself raccoon eyes in the process.

"Call me a lot, okay? And send me lots of pictures! I'll kill you if you forget to!" Ino sniffled while squeezing Sakura in a tight embrace.

"Don't worry, Piggy. I'll send lots and lots of mail until I clog up your inbox," Sakura promised with a watery look of her own.

When it was Hinata's turn, Hinata burst into silent tears. Squishing Sakura close, Hinata shook with noiseless sobs.

"I'll miss you, Sakura-chan. Thanks for being my friend," Hinata managed to choke out. At this, tears began streaming down Sakura's face.

"Stupid Hinata-chan. It's not like I'll stop being your friend from now on. I'll call you too. And I'll send you mail and you tell me if Naruto does something stupid. I'll come beat him up for you," Sakura blurted out.

"Then you'll have to visit every day, girl," Ino chimed in as she wiped her face with the backs of her hands. Laughing and crying all at once, the girls hugged again.

Sai and Shikamaru offered their farewells too. Though Sakura and Shikamaru hadn't really spoken often throughout high school, they had gone to kindergarten together, as most of them had. With a heavy sigh, Shikamaru shook her hand.

"I'll take care of that mess so don't worry. You'll be fine on your own, Haruno. You're the toughest chick I know," drawled Shikamaru, jerking his thumb toward Ino still crying as she clung to an equally tearful Hinata.

Sai didn't shake her hand. He didn't offer any words of wisdom either. Because it was Sai. Human interaction was evidently still somewhat of a mystery to him. But that was fine. He smiled in his awkward way and then carefully observed her face.

"It's been fun," he finally declared.

"It has. I'll see you around, Sai-kun," Sakura agreed.

So with a few extra hugs and some bowing to the parents, everyone went their separate ways.

* * *

That night, Sakura sat on the floor of the apartment and stared at the few things she had left to pack into her carry-on suitcase. She had talked to Jennifer-san who had advised packing a few outfits in case her luggage was lost for a while.

"It's still a bit chilly here but it should be warm in LA. Think of early summer weather," she recommended.

As Sakura began folding her shirts, Itachi walked over with two mugs of coffee and set one down next to her foot. He picked up another one of her shirts and began folding too. They didn't say anything to each other. There wasn't much else left to say. They had crammed everything they could think of to say into these last few weeks. There was a strange sense of peace blanketed over the apartment. An odd feeling of numbness, really.

"When you get there, is there a ride arranged for you?" queried Itachi.

"Mhm. Mom's picking me up. She says she bought a car. Apparently lots of people have them in America," Sakura replied. Itachi handed the shirt to her and watched her arrange it among the other luggage. Tilting her head to the left and then to the right, Sakura picked up her phone charger and tried to find a spot to wedge it into.

"You might need to get a new phone just to use there," Itachi remarked. But Sakura shook her head.

"I talked to my dad and he said that I can sign up for a special plan so that I can make calls and use the internet there," she explained to him. Itachi nodded.

"I'll miss you."

Sakura's hands, which, at this point, had appeared so determined to keep moving, abruptly fell still.

"I'll miss you too," she whispered. Pushing the last piece into place, Sakura pressed down on the suitcase before zipping it shut. Their eyes locked.

They lay on the couch that night with their arms and legs twisted about each other. The TV volume was turned all the way down but the flushing lights from the screen illuminating the darkened apartment. The hum of vague voices from next door washed around them. In soft voices that barely dared to break the silence, they spoke until it was nearly dawn. Itachi told her stories of his youth, of brotherly fights and times he had butted heads with his headstrong old man. Sakura recounted early days spent in ballet with bruised toes and cracked nails. It seemed fitting to share these things- to know the bitter moments in each other's lives because it was these secrets that would bridge the gap between them for that year. He ran his fingers through her hair, tickling her cheeks with the ends of the strands. She smoothed down the wrinkles in the front of his shirt, wondering if she was making the right decision.

And then it was time to leave for the airport. Sakura showered, they ate breakfast, and then they were out the door with the luggage.

The ride to the airport was quiet too. It wasn't a stifling silence. It was sad. Not angry. Sakura pressed her cheek to her knee and stared at Itachi as he drove. The curl of his long fingers over the steering wheel and the way he let his head fall back against the seat were things she wanted to remember. Sunlight angled in through the windows and his hair sparkled with a faint tinge of blue.

"I'll call you," Sakura suddenly said when they were stopped at a red light.

"I know," he replied. His index finger tapped against the wheel.

"It's not really that long. I'll be back next May," she added.

"I could come visit you. You know, for Christmas, maybe?" Itachi remarked. Sakura lifted her head.

"You could?"

Words petered out again.

"Are you mad at me for leaving?" inquired Sakura as the light turned green. The car glided forward, merging into one of the lanes ahead. She watched his tongue dart out to wet his lips before he spoke.

"Just a little bit. It's going to be embarrassing moping around for a year because I miss you," he responded with a half-smile. At this, she smiled too.

They made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare. With the usual procedures, Sakura checked her luggage to be sent off on the plane. She slung her backpack over her shoulders and barely rolled her eyes when Itachi claimed her carry-on suitcase to roll behind him.

"You're going to do that forever," she guessed.

"Until we have little hands to do it for us," Itachi quickly said. Eyes darting around, Sakura felt a blush rise to her cheeks at the implication.

"I hope you travel light. I only want two," she muttered. Before he could say anything else, Sakura turned around and spotted Deidara running over to meet them. In a shocking twist, Deidara was not perfectly dressed with equally perfect hair. Still in his pajamas, it looked like he had hurriedly yanked his locks into a topknot and thrown a jacket over his ensemble. Eyes rimmed red with exhaustion, he pulled Sakura into a fierce hug that almost hurt.

"Be good, My-chan! I'll miss you, yeah!" Deidara sniffed. Wiping at his eyes, he released her and took a few steps back to hide his face. Rolling his eyes, Sasori pushed him aside and pressed something into her palm.

"For good luck. Don't go cheating on Itachi in America. He'll probably commit suicide with a sword," Sasori calmly said. Ignoring Itachi's glare, Sasori hugged Sakura too and then went to help Deidara who was standing in a corner with his forehead against the wall.

"Bring me back a good souvenir, okay? You'll do great, Squirrely," boomed Kisame when it was his turn. His hug was smothering and smelled vaguely of saltwater. He had probably come straight from an all-nighter studying at the aquarium. Laughing, Sakura pulled away from him. To her surprise, Sasuke was standing just behind him. His hair was sticking up at odd angles and his clothes were rumpled. In fact, she had never seen Sasuke look so disheveled before. He had probably just rolled out of bed and caught a bus to the airport.

"What're you doing here?" Sakura asked. Sasuke, with his eyes barely opening from exhaustion, glared at her.

"I can't come say goodbye to my best friend?" he snapped. Sasuke wasn't a morning person.

"You can't. And I'll see you in a few months," she laughed. Rubbing his hand across forehead, Sasuke shook his head.

"No. It'll be different. We'll both be at different schools. Besides, if I didn't come, Mom would kill me," Sasuke explained with a weak shrug. They stared at each other before Sakura took a step forward and gave him a light hug.

"Well thanks, Sasuke-kun. I guess you're less of an asshole than you used to be," Sakura stated half-seriously. Back to scowling, Sasuke didn't respond.

"Come on, Sakura. You should get through the security checks if you want to catch your flight," Itachi murmured close to her ear. With one last wave at her friends, Sakura took his hand and began walking toward the terminal. Not even a minute later, she heard Deidara scream her name. She and Itachi turned.

"IT'S BEEN THE BEST DANCING WITH YOU, MY-CHAN! WE LOVE YOU, YEAH!" he shouted with his hands cupped around his mouth. It was Deidara. He didn't care that weary travelers were staring at the strange man yelling in his pajamas. When Sakura began to giggle, he waved his arms in exaggerated movements. Finally losing his temper, Sasori kicked Deidara in the backs of the knees, sending the blond toppling to the ground.

"Let's go before someone calls security," Itachi sighed. Nodding, they hurried off toward the gate and pretended not to hear the ruckus of security yelling at their friends.

"This is as far as I can go," Itachi declared when they got to the security checkpoint.

"I know," Sakura said without looking at him. Purposely not meeting his eyes, Sakura let her fingers slide from his. He handed over the suitcase.

"Sakura?"

She gulped hard. Taking a deep breath, she forced her most brilliant smile.

"I guess this is where we really say goodbye, right?" she said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

"Sakura," Itachi sighed this time. Taking her face in his hands, he tilted her head until she was finally looking at him. Tears automatically filled her eyes that she desperately tried to blink away. His mouth opened as if he were about to say something profound to change her life completely. But he couldn't. He had already changed everything, turned her life on its head. She had friends now, deep friends that would do anything for her. She had a family; she had a place where it wasn't dusty picture frames to greet her after school. She choked on all the words she had wanted to say. There was really nothing left to tell him but:

"I love you," Sakura croaked out. A single tear welled up and trailed its way down her cheek until it hit his thumb.

"I love you too. Now go before I start crying too," Itachi said. They both laughed in short breaths because they were both holding back undignified tears that once they started would never stop. Mashing his mouths to hers in a short but fierce kiss, Itachi pushed her toward the line of people trailing off into a doorway. Biting her lower lip, Sakura squared her shoulders and began walking as calmly as she could. Just as she reached the end of the line, Sakura heard Itachi say her name. When she turned, he was smiling again.

"You'll still marry me when you get back, right?" he called. Torn between embarrassment and happiness because other people were staring now, Sakura scowled.

"Of course, you idiot!" Sakura yelled back. Turning on her heel, she tossed her hair over her shoulder.

"Good!" Itachi said.

And from somewhere far off in the airport, they heard someone yell, "FIJI'S STILL AN OPTION."


	27. Epilogue

Fancy Footwork

Epilogue

"Hey, Haru-Haru."

"Ah?" Haruki responded. He pulled his right earphone out to give her his attention. The left earphone he had given to her to listen to dangled limply between them. The girl walking beside him nervously twirled a lock of brown hair around her pointer finger. When her gaze darted up to him through thick eyelashes, he felt his eyebrows rising.

"You like me, right?"

"Ah," Haruki said nonchalantly. The girl's cheeks puffed out in a pout.

"How can you say that so easily? Do you even mean it? You say it like it means nothing to you!" she complained. Haruki tried not to smile as he took a deep breath.

"But I like you. So it's easy to say what's true?" he responded evenly. A bright blush bloomed across the girls cheeks. Sputtering on her words, she fixed him with another sour look before they continued trudging along the sidewalk. She stomped slightly ahead of him, occasionally stealing glances at him over her shoulder. With a heavy sigh, Haruki reached out and took her by the wrist. She stopped.

"Misaki," Haruki called. Her shoulders stiffened.

"I like you. I like you a lot."

Their fingers laced together. Trying her best not to smile, Misaki glanced at him again. She mussed her bangs a little.

"Stupid Haru-Haru saying embarrassing things," she muttered. Haruki tugged at the black beanie covering his bright pink hair, a habitual movement that he barely realized he was doing. He nudged her lightly with his hip. Their strides matched up again, falling into a familiar rhythm as they walked the rest of the way to her house.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me?" Harukia asked one more time. Misaki's eyes darted from her house to his face. She gnawed on her lower lip.

"I don't want to intrude. This a family thing," Misaki told him. Sighing, Haruki set his guitar case upright on the sidewalk in front of him and leaned against it. Fingers tapping against the hard cover, he didn't say anything else.

"What's wrong Haru-Haru? I thought you were excited to see her," she said as she lightly put her hand on his arm. Haruki sighed again.

"I am. I am. It's just…I have news for her and I'm not sure she'll be happy about it," he admitted. Misaki tilted her head to one side.

"Well I'm sure she'll understand, Haru-Haru," assured Misaki with a bright smile. Feeling a little less worried, Haruki nodded. They leaned in for a little kiss and then Haruki picked up his guitar case. He started off down the sidewalk in the direction of his home. He knew Misaki would be standing at the gate watching him leave until she couldn't see him anymore.

It only took 15 minutes to get home but the walk felt a lot shorter. He glanced at the driveway and saw that there was a second car parked next to his dad's. Already the house looked different. The front windows were opened, letting in the cool spring breeze. The sheer curtains fluttered in the wind. Taking a deep breath, he trudged up the short steps leading up to the front door. He half-expected a face to pop out and greet him when he stepped inside. But there was no one.

Soft guitar strummed out from a radio further in the house. Stepping out of his loafers, Haruki shoved them aside while staring at the suitcases crowding the foyer. He heard the patter of bare feet running upstairs.

"Dad? I'm home!" Haruki called as he shrugged his guitar off and propped it up next to the front door. He began climbing up the spiraling glass stairs leading to the second floor. There, behind the door on the far left of the hallway was his room. However, the door next to his was open and he heard giggling.

"Ah! Nii-chan!"

Black pigtails bouncing, Ruka bounded out of her bedroom, dragging a large stuffed rabbit along behind her. Haruki crouched and caught her as she threw herself at him. Placing her little palms on his cheeks, Ruka grinned brilliantly. The rabbit flopped to the ground, apparently abandoned in favor of a brother.

"Mom, welcome home," Haruki said when he spotted two figures leaving Ruka's room.

And his mom, soft smile and bright eyes, took a few steps forward. She put her hand on his shoulder and placed a light peck on his right cheek.

"Hey there. You've gotten tall!" Sakura exclaimed. A little ways behind her, his dad stood loosening his silk tie. Their eyes met and Itachi gave him a smile too. Even a day's worth of exhaustion couldn't stop him from being ridiculously happy. It was always a great day when Mom came home from a business trip.

* * *

The three hours from South Korea back to Japan had been one of the more peaceful flights she had experienced as of late. Usually, though the companies usually got her first-class tickets, she was bombarded with questions from the excited teens riding in such a nice plane for the first time. With her daughter snoozing peacefully, Sakura had put her feet up and taken a surprisingly restful nap. When she woke, the plane was circling around Tokyo, preparing for final descent. With Itachi occupied at work with a big case, Sakura had called up one of her students to ask for a ride back from the airport. They had flown back a couple days before so it wasn't difficult to get one of them to drive.

From there, she had picked up her car from the studio and driven home. By this time, Ruka was wide awake and looking around excitedly at the city she hadn't seen in quite some time. She chattered nonstop while her big brown eyes drank in all the sights.

When they got home, it was just before 4. They took a quick bath together before Sakura fixed up a quick snack for Ruka. While Sakura sat in the foyer unpacking her shoes from her suitcase, the front door swung open. Looking up with an easy smile, Sakura said, "Welcome home." Itachi's fingers slid into her hair as he pulled her in for a soft kiss. She could taste the coffee on his lips. Staring her in the eyes, his lips parted to speak. But little Ruka came running, her eyes shining bright with adoration. She clung to Itachi's pant leg, shaking it insistently until Itachi gave a defeated smile and reluctantly pulled away from his wife.

Stumbling over her words in her excitement, Ruka gushed about all the things in the world while Itachi patiently listened. Taking her by the hand, Itachi led Ruka off so Sakura could unpack in peace. But she was soon done and went upstairs to join Ruka, who was in the middle of showing off all the brightly-colored souvenirs she had helped pick out for the family. She held out a tiny robot keychain to Itachi, pointing out the small pink buttons and explaining the imagined functions. When Sakura walked in, Itachi looked up and met her smile with one of his own.

Haruki came home soon after with his guitar case in one hand and his briefcase in the other. He was still wearing the same black beanie to cover up his bright pink hair but Sakura could see his bangs and the rest of the strands peeking out at the nape of his neck. He had let it grow out significantly since she had last seen him. He lifted Ruka into his arms and listened to her excited retelling of her plane ride. Fortunately, this gave Sakura time to change out of the jeans and sweatshirt she had thrown on after her bath.

Itachi followed her into their bedroom at the other end of the hallway. He shut the door behind them and watched Sakura throw herself onto their bed. She splayed her arms out before grabbing one end of the comforter and rolling herself up into it. He snorted quietly. After a few moments, he sat on the edge of the bed, bending over to peer into her impromptu cocoon.

"Come on," Itachi sighed when she simply stared up at him. With a little grunt, he gave her a nudge, sending the comforter unraveling again. Sakura lay sprawled out on the bed in an undignified pose and let out a deep breath that ruffled her hair.

"I know," he simply said when he met her weary gaze. Arms reaching upward, she pulled him down for a kiss, trapping him there by wrapping her legs around him and crossing her ankles. Itachi didn't seem to mind at all. Propping himself up on his elbows, he looked down at her with a smile that had never really grown old to her. They let out simultaneous sighs that conveyed a lot more than words could. His fingers trailed through her wavy hair as he watched her expression. Sakura could see the faint beginnings of smile lines crinkling softly on his face. With one last sigh, she released him and sat up abruptly.

"Uncle Madara came by yesterday," Itachi told her as she hopped off the bed.

"Really?" commented Sakura while rummaging through her half of the dresser. She stared at the neatly rolled rows of shirts for a moment before she picked up two. Spinning around, she held them up for Itachi to see. It only took a few extra seconds for Itachi to point to the one of the left before he continued speaking.

"He sends his love…or…whatever his creepy version of love is," said Itachi. Clicking her tongue, Sakura shed her loose t-shirt for the sleeveless white blouse he had picked out for her.

"Ikkun," Sakura began disapprovingly as she buttoned up the front of the shirt, "Madara-san really adores you and he's been very good to you. He even made you a partner at his firm." As she stood looking at herself in the mirror hung over the closet door, Itachi leaned back on his hands.

"Not as much as he loves you. It's like he's disappointed whenever he visits and you're not around. I swear sometimes I think he's licking his lips when he looks at your photos," he grumbled darkly. Sakura pursed her lips as she tried to decide whether she was more amused or disgusted. In the end, she just shook her head.

"I hope you're exaggerating," responded Sakura with her hands on her hips. Not waiting for his answer, Sakura went to the closet.

"Anyway, creepy visitors aside, anything else?" she inquired over her shoulder. The plastic hangers knocked against each other as she rifled through her clothes. After some thinking she chose a pair of dark blue jeans because when were jeans ever **not** the right decision?

"Oh, I almost forgot. One of your boys called yesterday. He said there was some issue with booking or scheduling for next weekend?" Itachi suddenly told her. Sakura pulled the zipper for her jeans up all the way. She stared down at her shirt for a while before deciding not to tuck it in.

"Ah, I'll talk to him tomorrow, I guess. Did he say it was urgent?" she responded.

"No. He said it could wait until you got back."

"Good," she declared happily. Sakura stood with her hands on her hips while she thought. Walking over to the dresser, she looked at herself in the mirror, tilting her face this way and that. A fresh coat of eyeliner and a little extra mascara later, she decided that there wasn't much else to be done about her face.

"You look fine. Relax," Itachi assured her when she began hunting for jewelry.

"Sorry it's just that I haven't seen everyone in forever and I'm sure I'm just a hot mess right now," Sakura admitted as she turned to look at him. Hands clenching together, she let out a deep sigh before Itachi got to his feet and put his arms around her. Pressing a kiss to her temple, he chuckled.

"Hot but certainly not a mess," he told her to smooth out the lines of worry stretching across her forehead. A soft flush rose to her cheeks as he bent to press his lips to the side of her throat.

"Very hot," added Itachi in a lower voice.

"You're insufferable," Sakura laughed as she swatted at him half-heartedly. But still she rose on her tiptoes to lightly peck him on the mouth.

"Come on," she said. Fingers laced together, they left the bedroom to head downstairs where Haruki was busy hauling suitcases upstairs. Ruka sat in the foyer watching him.

"Ruki-kun, you don't have to…" Sakura trailed off as she watched their son lug the bags up the stairs and come back down to take more up. Even though he was skinny, he was surprisingly strong. Sakura shook her head.

"Just like his father," she commented and Itachi merely raised his eyebrows. Sakura knelt to pick up Ruka. Giggling loudly, Ruka patted her mom's cheeks with her chubby little hands.

"Party!" she exclaimed.

"That's right, darling. A wonderful party," Sakura replied.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang and it was Haruki that answered the door. As soon as he pulled on the handle, a voice boomed its way inside.

"Hello. Nice to see you, Uncle."

"Hey there, kid! You're looking good!"

"Uncle" Kisame burst in with a full-bellied laugh. With a case of beer held on his left shoulder, he stomped inside. Haruki took the heavy box off of the older man and went off to figure out how to fit the entire thing inside the refrigerator. Stepping out of his shoes and throwing his jacket on the rack by the door at the same time, Kisame peered around.

"Good to see you, Kisame," Itachi greeted him as he walked out of the living room. Itachi held out a hand for a shake. Kisame grasped his hand and then proceeded to yank him in for a tight hug complete with a few thumps on the back.

"Cold as always, Itachi. Where's your much, much, much better half?" chortled Kisame. His best friend's lackluster greeting was expected since they saw each other once a week for drinks or dinner after work.

"Sakkun!" Sakura exclaimed as she hurried downstairs. Ruka trailed after her, amber eyes wide with curiosity.

"There she is! Happy birthday, Kitten!" Kisame chuckled as she hugged him. Ruka stared up at the giant with an expression of pure awe. When Sakura took a step back, she noticed Ruka still gaping.

"Ruka-chan, this is Uncle Kisame. Say hello," she prompted softly. Hands fisting into Sakura's jeans, Ruka puffed out her chest in a show of bravery. Cheeks turning bright pink, Ruka chimed out the proper greeting in a clear voice. Seeing the expression of pure determination on her daughter's face, Sakura tried her best not to laugh.

"I guess she doesn't really remember you, Sakkun," Sakura almost apologized. Kisame waved a hand to dismiss the worry.

"Hey, Haru, can you help me out? I've got a bunch of food in the back of my car," Kisame said, jabbing his thumb toward the door. He scratched at the dark stubble on his chin as he spoke. It took a second but Haruki's head poked out from the kitchen. Blowing his pink bangs out of his eyes, Haruki nodded. As the two headed outside, Ruka tapped Sakura's leg.

"Uncle? Mommy's brother?" she inquired. Sakura and Itachi laughed.

"No, sweetheart. Daddy and Mommy's friend," Sakura responded. Forehead wrinkling, Ruka took in this information with a grave expression. Still unconvinced that this "Uncle" wasn't really related to her parents, Ruka sat on the sofa trying to place the blue hair somewhere into the family tree she knew while Itachi rifled through CDs. Ruka was still ruminating over this new information several minutes later when there was a smart rap on the front door. This time, before anyone even had the chance to move toward it, the door swung open.

"Who is it?" asked Sakura as she approached the foyer.

"Happy birthday!" Hinata and Naruto chimed out together with bright smiles. They each hugged her before Naruto set about fussing over how good she looked for her age and that maybe she was aging backwards instead of forwards. Rolling her eyes at her husband's exaggerated flattery, Hinata looked toward Sakura. Letting out a heavy sigh, Sakura clapped Hinata on the shoulder.

"You look great, Hinata-chan. How're you doing?" queried Sakura as they both tuned out Naruto's babble.

"We're busy opening up the second store in Roppongi Hills. We're still painting and building right now," Hinata informed her. With her dark hair twisted up into a bun, Hinata looked every bit the refined wife everyone had thought she would become. Time had been very kind to Hinata and it was hard to believe it had been so long since she had been the round-faced girl who stuttered and threatened to pass out every time Naruto so much as looked her way.

Naruto's dream of opening up a small ramen stand had been achieved, of course. Because if Naruto was anything, he was stubborn to the point of stupidity. After apprenticing to a famous chef for nearly a decade, he had saved up until he had enough money to open up his own place in Konoha. Somewhere in-between, he had gotten married to Hinata. Tohru, their black-haired, blue-eyed son, was basically a shorter version of Naruto. Hinata had retired from nursing to help Naruto. Restaurant management, it turned out, was a natural talent of hers.

"What about Tohru-kun?" Sakura asked when she realized that the bubbly boy wasn't racing around and bumping into furniture.

"He's visiting my father."

Smiling fondly at one another, Sakura and Hinata squeezed each other's hands. It was like no time had passed between that chance meeting in high school. The shy girl reaching out to the doormat of a student council vice president. It was the same easy friendship they had fallen into. But 20 years later, here they stood with different last names and unchanged smiles and these were all things they didn't even need to say out loud to each other. Because they knew.

"Hello, Auntie! Hello, Uncle!" Ruka exclaimed as she ran out of the living room, undoubtedly attracted by Naruto's chatter.

And the moment ended softly.

"Hello, Ruka-chan. Your dress is very pretty," Hinata greeted her. Blushing happily, Ruka twirled around to show off the sky blue sundress complete with a short white cardigan.

"Hey there, Ruka-chan.," Naruto said too with a wide smile. He seemed to remember suddenly that he was holding a rather large pot and held it up for Sakura to see too. Sakura quickly directed him toward the kitchen where she and Hinata washed their hands and got ready to reheat and plate the food everyone was starting to bring in.

The men gathered in the living room to talk- not because they thought a woman's place was the kitchen. (Because between them, Naruto made some of the best ramen in the area and Kisame was a rather talented sushi chef himself.) Rather, it was because if any of them tried to walk in to offer help, a plate of food was shoved into his hands and he was spun around and thrown back toward the living room. As Naruto walked back in with a plate of hot tempura, he shrugged.

Soon after, the doorbell rang and Haruki went to open the door before any of the adults could stand.

("What a polite child," Hinata commented and Sakura beamed with pride as she stirred the steaming curry.)

There was some bustle from the foyer, shoes and coats and the like moving around. Afraid of burning the food, Sakura and Hinata stayed where they were, preferring to the let the guests come and find them. And with the fragrance of good cooking in the air, it didn't take long for new faces to appear around the doorway.

"Oh my gosh! You chopped all your hair off!" exclaimed Ino. She threw herself at Sakura to gape and marvel at the bob. After poking and frowning at the loose curls for a bit, Ino squinted.

"I like it," Ino declared finally. Sakura sighed heavily.

"I sent you pictures when I got it done, Piggy," Sakura reminded her as she shoved the ladle into Ino's hand.

"Seeing a picture and seeing it in person is different, you loser," Ino promptly retorted. Wiping her hands on the front of her apron, Sakura turned to greet the three other people waiting. Sakura eyed Shikamaru's weary expression with sympathy.

"She's a handful," Sakura offered rather lamely.

"Troublesome as always, I guess. Good to see you, Sakura-chan," replied Shikamaru with a resigned expression. As he went off to join the other men, Sakura realized that she had miscounted.

It turned out that the other two faces in the doorway were really three. Grinning broadly, Karin waved happily at Sakura. She held out a casserole dish that Sakura accepted with curiosity. As Sakura peeled the foil back, Karin explained.

"Chicken doria."

Hinata and Ino looked over Sakura's shoulders to appraise the dish too. After several seconds, they looked up and gave thumbs up each to Karin in approval. Ino took the ceramic dish off of Sakura's hands to be heated up in the oven.

"Hello, Aunt Sakura. Happy birthday," a little voice said. Looking down, Sakura saw a little boy peering around the edge of his father's pant leg. She crouched down to look him straight in the eye.

"Thank you, Izumi-kun. It's great to see you again," Sakura replied to him in a gentle tone. Izumi flushed bright pink as he struggled to keep eye contact with her. But a few seconds proved to be his limit. He hastily handed her a card and then ducked back behind his father's leg. Standing up straight again, Sakura let out a soft laugh.

"You guys are here early. I thought you were stuck in traffic," she said.

"Karin nagged at the other cars and they moved," Sasuke offered. Laughing, Sakura pulled Sasuke into a hug.

"You're getting old," he teased and didn't even flinch when she punched him in the arm.

"You're as rude as ever. It's a wonder Karin-chan agreed to marry you," Sakura jabbed in return. Not looking back, Sakura held out her hand and Karin slapped her a high-five as she walked past. When she saw Izumi staring up at them with a panicked expression, Sakura smiled.

"Don't worry, Izumi-kun. We're just joking. Why don't you go find Ruka?"

At this, Izumi's expression relaxed and he nodded eagerly. Releasing Sasuke's pant leg, he hurried off in search of his younger cousin. Nodding at Sakura, Sasuke headed off into the living room to join the other men. Naruto's enthusiastic greeting was the loudest. Turning back to her friends, Sakura peered over Ino's outstretched arm to admire the dish Karin had just uncovered. Everyone gaped at the salad Ino had brought. Slices of ripe orange glistened along with the plump raisins scattered on top of the baby spinach leaves. Karin yanked the rest of the plastic wrap off to further appreciate the gastronomic masterpiece.

"**You** made this?" Karin demanded. Ino crossed her arms over her full chest with an incredibly smug expression.

"There's no way you made this, Ino," snorted Sakura. Putting her hands on her hips, Ino pouted.

"Why not? I cook," Ino defended herself. The three other women exchanged meaningful looks.

"If I recall correctly, you once burned ramen that time you came to visit for Christmas in college," said Sakura.

"And once you set scrambled eggs on fire that time we went to the mountains for vacation together," Karin chimed in.

"Ino-chan, once, you put vinegar instead of water in your beef stew and Naruto had diarrhea for two days," added Hinata as gently as possible. Ino scowled fiercely as they continued to recall times when Ino in the kitchen had amounted to culinary disaster. Undercooked rice and charred meats were really only a fraction of the things that had gone terribly wrong. It was a wonder how Shikamaru got by. But then again, Shikamaru was a regular at Naruto's restaurant- maybe the only reason the poor man hadn't starved to death after all these years.

As the instances of chaos piled up, Ino finally threw her arms up in the air.

"I looked up the recipe online and Shika helped me! There! Are you happy?" shouted Ino.

Sakura turned her attention back to the bright salad. She eyed the slices of almonds and crumbled bits of bleu cheese.

"Yeah that makes a lot more sense. Do you think we should just serve it in this bowl?" Sakura declared and quickly moved onto another topic.

While they bustled around the kitchen reheating, stirring, and plating food, the front door opened for the final guests. As Sakura stood debating with Karin over whether they should use bowls or plates for the curry, there was a soft chuckle.

"Guess who, yeah?"

Letting out gasp, Sakura whirled around to meet Deidara's unchanged grin. A laugh burst out of her when he held up a small stuffed rabbit. Accepting the present, Sakura let him pull her in for a tight hug. Over his shoulder, Sakura met hooded gold eyes. But years of Sasori really popping in and out of what always seemed to be rips in the universe had completely desensitized her to his sudden appearances. When Deidara released her, Sakura ducked under his arms to hug Sasori in greeting too. Sasori had on the same stare that conveyed utmost apathy as he swayed her back and forth in his embrace.

"I saw you wore our present during that interview you did last week. We got a bunch of orders for them this morning," Sasori said. He reached up to lightly touch the silver moon and stars dangling from her left ear. Deidara snaked his way in between the two of them to throw his arm over Sakura's shoulder.

"I haven't seen you in forever, yeah," Deidara sighed. She rolled her eyes.

"We had lunch literally two weeks ago, Dei-chan," Sakura corrected him. But Deidara shook his head furiously.

"It was forever and my life has been an empty void of sorrow without you, yeah," insisted Deidara.

"It's been such an empty void that he ditched work last week to go on a date with his girlfriend-" Deidara interrupted Sasori by clamping his hand over his mouth.

"So dismal and sad, yeah," said Deidara while shooting Sasori a glare. Sasori stared straight back at him with unaffected eyes until Deidara released him.

"Now play nice, you two," Sakura sighed half-heartedly. Luckily, she was saved when she heard to sets of footsteps running toward them.

"Saso-kun!" Ruka cried out. She sped toward him, throwing herself into his arms when he crouched to catch her. Rubbing her cheek against his chest, she clung to him so tightly that it almost looked like a heartfelt reunion between father and daughter. Sakura cocked her head to one side as she watched them and Deidara did the same.

"You know, I never did understand why Ruka loves him so much," Sakura remarked.

"It's kind of like how I wonder why you married that stick in the mud. He must have a really big di-" replied Deidara as he stroked at his chin. Sakura shoved him with her hip to cut him off even as she laughed.

"Hi, Ruka-chan. Remember me, yeah? It's your favorite Dei-chan," Deidara said, waving his hands toward Ruka. She peered over Sasori's shoulder with suspicious eyes.

"My Saso-kun," was all she coldly said before she ignored Deidara completely. With the expression of a broken man, Deidara slowly turned to look at Sakura. Sakura put her hands on his shoulders.

"Don't feel so bad, Dei-chan…" Sakura began but then trailed off when she couldn't really find the words to comfort him. She settled for patting his back sympathetically and directing him to the living room to join his friends.

"Ah, I see you've felt the icy sting of Ruka-chan's rejection. I guess she learned that from her mother. Have a beer, Deidara," Kisame guffawed loudly when he caught sight of Deidara's face.

"I'm in the kitchen with the knives, Kisame!" Sakura yelled back. It was quiet for a long moment.

"You're the 2nd most lovely and wonderful creature in the world after my wife, Kitten," Kisame solemnly replied.

Dinner was served soon after. Since the dining room table was nowhere near large enough to fit everyone, everything was set up like a buffet. People loaded up their plates and settled on the sofas or on the floor in the living room to dig in. Hinata's sweet curry was a smash hit with everyone and even Ino's salad was gobbled up with not even a single raisin left at the bottom of the bowl. Naruto decided to make a toast with the adults holding up glasses filled with Sakura's favorite brand of Sauvignon. The children and Haruki were supplied with plastic cups filled with apple juice instead. After some bad jokes about the past that made Sakura blush and the children scratch their heads with confusion, Naruto grew serious.

"Happy 39th birthday, Sakura-chan. You deserve all the love and happiness in the world," the blond concluded. He raised his glass and everyone else did the same. Giggling at the adults' strange game, Ruka copied them with enthusiasm. Sakura drank her wine with tears almost brimming in her eyes. She reached over Haruki to squeeze Naruto's hand and he grinned proudly.

Food disappeared quickly especially between Kisame, Deidara, and Naruto all glancing to see who was eating the most. Even in his forties, Kisame had a black hole of a stomach but still somehow managed to keep in shape. Deidara liked to joke that it was because he was always wrestling with his brothers in the shark tank. One of these days, Kisame was going to lose his temper and throw Deidara into the whale tank. Sakura sincerely hoped she was there to witness that day.

Sakura took a moment to look around.

She remembered her senior year of high school as everyone struggled to figure out what to write on their future plan surveys. Out of all of them, only Naruto and Sasuke had really managed to stay true to their expectations.

Sasuke was a data analyst at a large electronics company. Karin had been a rather successful pharmacist until a few years back when she had gotten pregnant with Izumi. She had decided that since she was terrible at juggling responsibilities that she would focus on raising their son.

Shikamaru had gone on to be a professor of mathematics at Konoha University. He had even taken to wearing reading glasses. Ino teasingly called him "Hakase*" and while he grumbled about it, Shikamaru seemed to take his job pretty seriously. Ino had inherited her parents' flower shop in the center of the city. The two had never had children and according to Shikamaru, the only way he would ever be caught with a kid was if he was babysitting for one of his friends.

Things seemed to have gone a little more as planned for her other friends.

As expected, Kisame was a marine biologist. He was the head of the aquatic research lab located a few cities over that sat right on the ocean. Most days Kisame probably came home smelling like fish but that hadn't stopped him from getting married to a very nice woman. While they had been really aiming for two children, what had happened was one girl and then a set of rambunctious triplets. Sometimes Kisame went out with Itachi for dinner just to remember that men existed in the world. Still, Kisame loved his girls dearly and went out on fancy dates with his wife every once in a while. Life had been good to Kisame and even his liver was in pretty good shape after all the abuse he put it through in college.

Sakura still kept in touch with Konan and Pein, who were still touring the world together. Pein was an investigative journalist- exposing corruption and reporting the truth were all he strived to do and it had gotten him shot at on a couple of occasions. Konan accompanied him for most of his journeys, selling her smaller paintings she did on the road. There was an exhibit open in one of the local art museums. It was a collection of her latest works simply titled "Paper". Sakura had yet to visit it but she had heard a lot of things from her friends who had gone. "Stunning" and "heart-breaking" were two of the most popular things she had heard to describe the works.

Deidara and Sasori had never really fulfilled their dreams of becoming a famous make-up artist and fashion designer respectively. Sasori had taken a job offer at a famous French designer after graduation but after three years he had gotten fed up with his boss's verbal abuse and handed in his letter of resignation. Deidara bounced around doing various jobs with make-up and a couple side gigs modeling.

Deidara and Sasori's careers didn't really pick up until Sakura's did.

Konoha University had been one of the most amazing accomplishments of her life as a teenager. And as it turned out, Sakura never really ended up attending the school that most students would murder to get into.

"The thing was," Sakura explained as Haruki listened with interest, "I went abroad for a year and I ended up getting dragged into this local dance crew in New York by one of my friends. I guess the performing arts department at the sister school heard about it and they bribed me into the program with free tuition. So I transferred officially into NYU."

"NYU was where your Uncle Sasuke was going to school, by the way," Itachi chimed in as he refilled Sakura's glass with more wine. Haruki nodded quickly as he soaked in all the information. His expression was neutral but she saw the hungry glint in his eyes. He had always loved hearing about his parents' childhoods even as a little boy. She and Itachi had always secretly guessed he would end up becoming a writer or maybe a historian. Sakura wondered how she had never gotten around to explaining her college days to her son. Maybe he had been too young all those times she had wanted to tell him. Shrugging, Sakura went on.

"What ended up happening was that I ended up dancing with the crew to make money at events and competitions and whatnot. But my sophomore year I got an offer from this school in California that had an even better dance program. Free tuition plus a monthly allowance."

"I got into modern dance and I kept doing performances here and there until an older friend took me under her wing and recruited me into her team. She did choreography and backup dancing along with a few other guys and girls. I did a lot of work with her until she tore her knee up really badly and had to stop dancing. From then on, I led the team." Sakura's words trailed off as she put on a wistful expression.

* * *

"_You know, you promised one year abroad. It's been two and a half," Itachi brought up one day. Sakura sat on the floor massaging her sore calves and looked up. Blowing stray locks of hair out of her face, she grinned sheepishly._

"_I know."_

"_It's lonely without you."_

"_Is your youth wasting away while your girlfriend philanders about in the sinful streets of Cali?" Sakura teased back. Itachi leveled her with a serious look._

"_I'd hope she's not philandering. I'm the jealous type," he responded as he arched an eyebrow. Sakura stuck her tongue out at him and resumed her massage. Eight hours of dance a day was really taking a toll on her body. With a heavy sigh, she kneaded the lean muscles forming in her calves. She heard the soft thump of Itachi slip off the couch and scoot across the floor towards her. Even before he opened his mouth, she had an idea of what he would say._

"_Let's get married," Itachi said._

"_No," Sakura promptly replied. Itachi didn't even seem offended this time. What was this? Maybe the 5__th__ time she had turned down one of his proposals? _

"_You're getting sloppy, Ikkun. No flowers? No ring?" teased Sakura as she looked up at him. The intensity burning in his eyes startled her for an instant. His voice had been so casual that she hadn't realized how he was watching her. The expression on his face made heat rise to the back of her neck. _

"_Why not?" he asked._

"_I want to graduate. And I kind of want to keep pursuing the dance scene here. There's a lot of stuff here for me to do and you have a lot of stuff to do at home. I'm not going to drop out of school and you're not going to abandon the law firm," Sakura rationally reminded him. She watched the frown flicker across his face as he really considered her words. Sometimes he got in these strange moods where he seemed really ready to run off with her while abandoning everything else. But then the moment passed as it always did and he fell backwards, sprawling out on the floor. Rubbing his face roughly, he let out a loud groan._

"_I'm so uncool. I don't want to be apart from you for another second," he sighed in a muffled voice. A smile crept up on Sakura's lips. She crawled over to watch him before she leaned down and kissed his nose between his fingers._

"_Very uncool. And very sweet."_

* * *

"Mom?" Haruki asked when he saw Sakura zoning out. She quickly snapped out of her daze to pick up where she had stopped.

"Oh and then somehow I ended up graduating before I had even realized that four years had gone by. I sort of drifted with the team performing here and there and doing some small roles for shows until I got this big role as main dancer and choreographer in a big performance when I was 22. I got picked up as choreographer for a couple entertainment companies right after," Sakura continued. She glanced over at Itachi who seemed just as absorbed as their son in the story.

"I got pregnant with you when I was 24," she added with a smile. This time Itachi smiled back at her.

It had been right before Christmas. He had used up all of his limited vacation to visit her in LA for two weeks. Her days had started at the crack of dawn and gone until late at night but he had tagged right along. Sakura had known that he had been tired but he seemed more interested in seeing what she did for a living than actually relaxing during his vacation. Sometime during that short time, she had forgotten to take her birth control pills and she had been blessed with a little blue plus sign on her pregnancy several weeks later.

* * *

"_We're going to have a baby," Sakura simply said over the phone. There was a long silence from the other end. Sakura thought back to that time her senior year when he had gone into full panic mode trying to plan out the future in the course of five minutes. Surprisingly, this time, Itachi seemed rather calm. He thought for a while and then she heard him chuckle._

"_So…I suppose we should get married," Itachi finally replied. Sakura laughed._

"_What a lackluster proposal. But yes, I'll marry you, you stubborn man."_

* * *

"We got married in February and by then I was a partner at my firm so we had some good, steady income," Itachi butted in, practical as ever. There was a smug look on his face so Sakura rolled her eyes and held out her glass again. Itachi refilled it with more wine and then motioned for Sakura to continue. By this time, everyone had gathered around them like children during story time. Ruka had crawled into her older brother's lap to listen with rapt attention.

"We had our honeymoon in Cancun and then, in September, we had you, Ruki-kun. I started up my dance school, named it 'Fancy Footwork', and stayed in Japan so we could raise you together. And I think that's all. I mean, we had Ruka-chan a while after that, but I think that's pretty much it," Sakura concluded.

"What about your glamorous life mingling with hot celebrities, yeah?" Deidara piped up. Sakura shrugged.

"I did choreography for a lot of entertainment companies before I signed on with any of them. Sure, I trained a lot of different idol groups but my life was never really 'glamorous'," Sakura answered humbly. Sasori rolled his eyes.

"Listen here, Haruki-kun. When your mom graduated high school, we gave her these earrings we made as a present. She wore them all the time and when she started choreography, a bunch of the idol groups asked her where she had gotten them. That's basically the only reason Deidara and I even started up our company," Sasori told Haruki. Haruki's eyes widened as he turned back to Sakura.

"So Mom, you made Dei-san and Saso-san famous?" Haruki summed up simply. Sakura flapped a hand as she shook her head.

"I just said that my best friends had made them for me. They begged me and begged me to ask them to make more but it really was because those earrings were so pretty that anything happened." Ruka tugged on the front of Haruki's shirt.

"Which? Stars?" she inquired. Ruka pointed at her own ear, referring to the dangling moon and star earrings Sakura was wearing. True to the tradition, there were two chains connecting them to the silver cuff in her cartilage. In her right ear was a simple silver crescent moon. Ruka loved all of her mother's earrings- especially the ones that tinkled when she moved. But Sakura shook her head, catching on to what her daughter was asking.

"No, baby. The first one Dei-chan and Saso-kun made for Mommy is the skull. I think the ones I was wearing back then were the gold lightning bolts," Sakura responded, looking toward Sasori for confirmation. Sasori nodded.

"I guess we owe everything to Sakura-chan. Who knew we would end up owning a jewelry company, yeah," sighed Deidara. Sasori stared off into space for a bit.

"Yeah, I suppose we owe her everything. Maybe we should start offering her burnt animal sacrifices," Sasori suggested. Mute horror settled over the room. Puzzled by the silence, Ruka peered up at her brother.

"Burned? Sac-fis?" Ruka repeated with obvious confusion. Haruki slowly shook his head.

"Just forget you heard that," Haruki told her. Tilting her head to one side, Ruka stuck her lower lip out while thinking. Then she seemed to lose interest and just nodded.

Kisame cleared his throat loudly.

"Who wants another beer?"

"I'll take one, Catfish-chan, yeah."

They sat around catching up for a couple hours. Sakura hadn't been back in the country for a couple of months and Deidara and Sasori had been in France for the past year. Everyone traded stories about their families- boasting about their children and fondly reminiscing about the past. The stories from high school made Sakura burst into laughter until tears were streaming down her cheeks. Naruto running through the hallways as teachers chased him with rulers and Shikamaru falling asleep at his own college orientation were all recalled with smiles. Years had softened the memories around the edges but the fuzzy warmth of nostalgia had replaced the clarity. And maybe that was better than remembering perfectly.

Only when it was completely dark outside did Kisame rub his stomach and let out a loud burp.

"Well, I'd better get home before the wife starts to worry," he declared. As he got to his feet, everyone else seemed to realize just how late it was.

"We've got to get up early tomorrow to head to Roppongi Hills again. They're installing counters and cabinets in the morning and we have to go oversee things," Hinata explained as she clasped Sakura's hands in hers.

"Let's all get lunch sometime next week," Sakura said, tugging on the back of Ino's coat as she walked past. Ino looked over her shoulder at them and nodded.

Leftovers were sectioned up into plastic containers and foil and handed out among the guests. All tuckered out from running around with Ruka during the night, Izumi snoozed comfortably in his father's arms. As Sasuke reached down to wedge his foot into his loafers, Sakura and Hinata cooed over Izumi's chubby cheeks. It was funny how he looked exactly like Sasuke as a baby, right down to the expressions.

"What a cutie. If only Sasuke-kun still looked this adorable," Sakura teased. Sasuke turned around to glare at her. But when she giggled, his expression softened. He leaned forward to lightly hug her with one arm so as not to jostle his son.

"Happy birthday, stupid sister," he muttered. The sourness of his words was severely dampened by the face of the dozing angel resting on his left shoulder. Karin hugged Sakura too.

"It was great seeing you. The kids should have a play date soon," Karin said. Sakura nodded as she squeezed Karin's hand.

"Of course. I'll call you," Sakura promised. Sasuke and Karin were the first to leave. They lived on the opposite side of the city and even with Sasuke's car it would be a bit of a drive.

Naruto and Hinata were gone next in a hurry of hugs and smiles. They were off to pick up their son before heading home. Kisame departed soon after but not before squeezing every member of the family in a giant bear hug. He ruffled the top of Haruki's head, setting his dark beanie askew. And then he was out the door, whistling cheerfully as he trudged off toward his van. Ino and Shikamaru left with him, happily making small talk on their way out the door.

"We should do this more often, My-chan," Deidara said as he hugged Sakura tight. She laughed at the mention of the old nickname. Deidara released her and then crouched down to kiss Ruka on the forehead. She had finally opened up to him and let out a delighted giggle as she kissed him back. Cheeks flushing pink with adoration, Deidara picked Ruka up and spun her around.

"What a little angel, yeah," he sighed blissfully. Eyeing Deidara suspiciously, Itachi took Ruka from his friend.

"Don't taint my daughter with your strangeness," Itachi ordered. Deidara didn't even bother to pretend to be offended.

"Don't let your old man ruin all the fun," Deidara stage-whispered to Haruki as he patted him on the back. Haruki smiled.

"Sure, Dei-san," Haruki replied complacently.

"Happy birthday, princess. It's great seeing you," Sasori said as he pressed his lips to Sakura's temple.

"Come visit again, Saso-kun. Will you be okay taking the train back? One of us could drive you home." As she spoke, Sakura watched Sasori shrug on his black coat.

"It's not even half an hour. Don't worry so much," Sasori responded easily. With one last round of hugs, Sasori and Deidara were out the door and were heading down the sidewalk toward the nearest subway station. Sakura lingered in the doorway watching their backs for a while before slipping back inside. She pushed the door closed but then her fingers lingered on the doorknob for a few seconds.

"It's nice outside. Do you want to go for a walk?" she asked Itachi. He looked surprised but nodded.

"Me too!" Ruka chimed in. And because Ruka tugged at his hand, Haruki decided to come along as well.

Hand in hand, Sakura and Itachi walked down the dark sidewalk. Streetlights cast orange pools every few meters. Ruka held onto Sakura's right hand as she marched along. Haruki trailed a few steps behind them, his hands in his pockets and his head tilted up to watch the sky. Even with all the light pollution from the city, he could see some stars blinking faintly. After several minutes, Ruka's head began to nod against her chest. Sakura paused to scoop the girl into her arms before Haruki stopped her.

"You must be tired, Mom. I'll take her," Haruki interceded while easily lifting his sister up. She snuggled comfortably into the crook of his neck. Sakura regarded Haruki's face in the dim light. She looked over the slight tilt in his head, at the straight line of his father's nose. Wordless affection swelled up tight in her chest at the way he looked at her- so trusting and so innocent. With a broad smile, Sakura patted his cheek.

"Thank you, darling," she softly said.

So Sakura continued on with her and Itachi's joined hands swinging easily between them. Haruki walked a little ways ahead of them now, pretending to be absorbed in the calm of the night when he was really giving his parents a little bit of privacy.

"I think he takes after you. So mature for his age," Sakura remarked quietly as she watched Haruki.

"Or maybe it's you. So considerate," Itachi said back to her. Sakura's lips curled upward and she didn't say anything in response. She didn't really have to. It was just comfortable.

15 years of marriage spanned between them. 15 anniversaries. 15 revolutions around the sun- some of it spent breathing the same air- other times spanning across an ocean with just phone calls and silly text messages to tie them together. They had said 'hello' countless times but never said goodbye.

Itachi had clutched her fingers, even as she had nearly crushed them during contractions. He had held their children in his hands, nearly crying the first time he had laid eyes on Haruki all wrinkled and wailing strong as he used his lungs for the first time. She had really cried both times- not because of how beautiful their children were (because they were both perfect and gorgeous) but at the look of sheer awe on Itachi's face. There was still that glimmer of amazement in his gaze each time he watched Ruka learn a new word, each time he had a deep conversation with Haruki and realized just how quickly he was growing. And each time she caught that look, she fell in love with him again and again.

Sakura had swelled up all round and soft twice during their marriage. Somehow, the second time had been no less amazing than the first. Stirring in the wee hours of the morning before the sun had risen because she gasped.

'_He's kicking. Feel it?'_

Groping for his hand in the darkness, she had guided it to the swell of her belly where he had waited with baited breath until he felt the little flutters. Or when he got home from work she would be sitting in the living room with a storybook held in her hands. She would read out loud in a soft, lulling tone until she saw him standing in the doorway.

'_I read somewhere that they can hear you talking.'_

Warm summer nights he lay with his ear pressed to her stomach as she read the millionth book about parenting and babies. Each little bump, each tiny kick and stretch was the greatest miracle to ever occur on the planet.

Time had gone on- their children had grown, learned words and stood on their own two feet. With each spin of the planet around the sun, she had lain awake at night, running her fingers through his hair and watching the steady rise and fall of his chest until it lulled her to sleep. Or he would hit the snooze button of his alarm in the morning to press his cheek between her shoulder blades and feel her lazily press her back to his chest in half-sleeping daze. Some nights Haruki lay between them, wrapped up in Sakura's arms to keep the bad dreams away. And he would stare at his son's long eyelashes, at the impossible pink hair that matched perfectly with Sakura's. He would follow the soft rhythm of Sakura stroking his head and wonder how such gentleness was all his.

15 years still stupidly in love. 15 years of words and memories and sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee late at night. And sometimes, on a whim, one of them would suddenly say, "I love you." And the other, never surprised, would smile back and answer with an obvious, "I love you too."

Walking on, walking on and on, following the steady gait of their son, Sakura and Itachi laced their fingers together and breathed in the same air.

After half an hour, they looped back and headed home. Sakura gave up on holding Itachi's hand and instead pressed herself against his side. He put his arm around her waist, fingers spreading across her flat stomach. Their footfalls matched up.

"We didn't get to do anything for our 15th anniversary, you know," Itachi remarked. Sakura sighed heavily. She tilted her head back to look up at him.

"I guess we didn't. Is there anywhere you want to go?" she asked.

"Cancun," he promptly said. Sakura's eyebrows rose.

"But we went there for our honeymoon."

"Yes but you were pregnant so we didn't get to drink any alcohol or go parasailing or scuba diving," he pointed out practically. Sakura smiled.

"We could go next month, when the kids stay with my parents for a couple weeks," Itachi continued. Every summer, Haruki (and soon Ruka would join him) would visit Fugaku and Mikoto. They had retired to one of the Uchiha family's vacation homes in the mountains the next prefecture over. The house had its own private onsen and Haruki had made friends in the town so it was actually something he tended to look forward to. Sakura thought for a few seconds.

"Why not?" she finally agreed.

Their house came into view a few minutes later. Sakura watched Haruki step into the house and slip out of his sneakers before pulling Ruka's shoes off. As he carried her upstairs, Sakura followed. Itachi seemed to understand what she was doing and went off to take out the burnable trash. Haruki nudged the door open with his foot and deposited his baby sister in her bed. He took his time pulling the covers over her and slipping her favorite teddy bear into her arms. She hugged it tightly to her chest and snuggled into the pillows before dropping off into deep sleep again.

"Maybe we should change her into pajamas," Haruki whispered as they tiptoed their way out. As Sakura closed the door behind them, she shook her head.

"If she wakes up she'll never fall asleep again," Sakura sighed. She took a moment to look at him carefully.

"So…what's on your mind?" she gently inquired. Haruki started a little but then he seemed to remember that he was talking to his mother who really knew everything there was to know about him.

"I wanted to wait until you were home to tell you. It's because a couple weeks ago we had our parent-teacher conferences and my homeroom teacher was asking me what I wanted to do after high school," Haruki began. Sakura remembered the creeping sense of panic she had experienced trying to figure out just what the heck she wanted to do with the rest of her life. But there was no glint of desperation in Haruki's eyes. Just determination. So she let him talk.

"I mean, I know I still have some time but I've been thinking a lot lately and… I think I know what I want to do for a living."

Sakura blinked. Leave it to her and Itachi's son to figure out his life goals when she had struggled to figure out what university to attend during her senior year of high school.

"I want to do music, Mom. But not like a musician or an idol. I want to produce. I want to make the music that famous people perform," Haruki admitted. Sakura didn't say anything.

"This isn't some kid's fantasy and I know it's not going to be easy. I'm probably going to have to at least audition for some companies and get some experience and credentials as a musician first. But my ultimate goal is to compose my own music."

Sakura looked straight into Haruki's eyes. His irises were the same warm color as his father's.

"Ruki-kun, it's very obvious to me that you've given this a lot of thought and done your research. If you're sure this is want you want to do, Dad and I will support you," she evenly replied. Haruki blinked quickly.

"But it's not a very practical dream. There's no guarantee I'll make it," he pointed out.

"I know," Sakura simply said.

"And you're okay with that?"

Sakura put her hands on Haruki's shoulders with a smile

"Ruki-kun, I've been dancing for a long time now. And I basically got by in college through dumb luck. After that, it was a lot of kicking my own butt and forcing myself to improve until someone finally noticed me. So what I'm saying is that if you're willing to struggle your way along, then I think you've made the right choice." With these words, Sakura pulled him into a hug. It was strange the way that his chin rested easily on her shoulder now. He would be taller than her soon and that thought, rather than making her sad, made her oddly proud.

"It's late. I think I'm going to bed soon. What about you?" said Sakura as she released him.

"I think I'll probably waste some time on the internet for a bit and then sleep too," Haruki guessed with a shrug. He pulled his beanie off to muss his brightly-colored hair.

"Don't stay up too late. You won't grow taller," she reminded him. With a light kiss to the cheek, Sakura headed off to her room. Shedding her clothes, Sakura stood at the dresser erasing her make-up. As she headed into the connected bathroom to wash her face, she heard footsteps approaching.

"Is Ruka sleeping?" Itachi called out as he closed the door behind him. Sakura made a noise of assent as she pulled her hair up into a bun to keep it out of her face.

"Are you working tomorrow?" he asked. She heard the jingle of his belt buckle as he got undressed too. Sakura went on to wash her face. Squeezing her eyes shut so soap wouldn't sting them, Sakura said "yup". When she cleaned all the soap foam off, she saw Itachi standing in the doorway with a half-smile. He was wearing just his white undershirt and dark boxers. As Sakura squeezed toothpaste onto her toothbrush, he reached under her arm to get at his own toothbrush. Sakura waited for him to run it under water a second before she squeezed out a generous helping of paste onto it. They stood side by side, staring into the mirror as they brushed their teeth together. It was a familiar pattern- something they had done almost every day during their first couple years of marriage. Something about their working schedules had always matched up and so they had grown used to brushing teeth together with the noise of brushes filling the silence between them.

Spit, rinse, and then throw the brushes back into the white mug with a black cat on it. Sakura patted her mouth dry and then stood applying lotion to her face. As her fingers moved in circles, she paused to tap the tiny creases in the corners of her eyes. Itachi peeked around her elbow to watch her and then scowled. She didn't even say anything.

"You're perfect," he assured her. He leaned in to kiss the side of her neck so he wouldn't ruin her lotion and then slipped into the bedroom. Slightly mollified, Sakura finished up her nightly routine and headed back to the room too. She dug in Itachi's side of the dresser and pulled out one of his old shirts- all soft and faded from years of washing. When she pulled her head through it, it easily went down to her thigh. Itachi had tossed her discarded clothing in the hamper already. As she crawled into bed, he lay tucked into his side with his phone in his hand. Sakura settled in on her side, fluffing her pillow and tugging at the sheets for a bit. Once she was comfortable, Itachi showed her the screen of his phone.

"Look what Kisame sent me just now," Itachi said. It was a photo of Kisame with his four daughters. They had drawn her a banner with crayon and markers that said 'Happy Birthday, Auntie!' Someone had thought to cover it with stickers of unicorns and kittens and even swirls of glitter glue. Sakura laughed. The youngest triplet, Tsukino, had cheeks covered with glitter.

"That's precious. I feel bad for Minako. She's going to have a hell of a time trying to get glitter off the carpet and off her kids," sighed Sakura. She didn't know how Kisame's wife juggled her job as a librarian and raising four energetic girls. Nodding sympathetically, Itachi shot Kisame a reply and then set his phone to silent. As he leaned over to plug his phone into the charger, she watched the stretch of his back muscles. He used to wear nothing but boxers to bed but ever since they had a daughter, he had grown oddly conscious of himself and decided to always wear a shirt to bed. Sakura was sure there was a logical explanation for that too but she was satisfied just to watch the shape of his muscles under the tight white fabric. Even after this many years, Itachi had always kept up his exercise routines. An hour at the gym in the morning and a long run on the weekends. Itachi settled back in the bed and the look on his face let her know that he had caught her staring. The slightly arrogant smirk on his lips hadn't changed either.

"Maybe I'll take Ruka to the park tomorrow afternoon. I heard there's going to be a petting zoo," Itachi said. Sakura flicked the lights off using the set of switches beside the headboard.

"That sounds nice," she agreed. She lay on her side, hands curled up under her right cheek. He lay on his side too, chin propped up in his hand. She could see the outline of his smile from the dim light coming in through the parted curtains. His hand moved to rest on her cheek. Then his fingers moved to her hair, lightly stroking through it. Wordlessly, she moved toward him, curling into the secure spot saved just for her. His arm looped around her waist. As Sakura let out a contented sigh, she felt him kiss the top of her head.

"Happy birthday," he murmured as his arm tightened a little. A blissful smile curled at Sakura's mouth as she closed her eyes and drifted off into the most peaceful sleep she'd had in a while.

* * *

Hakase* means Professor

Onsen* is a hot spring

And on another note, Roppongi Hills is a wealthy, super-developed area of Tokyo. (Visit if you ever go to Japan. The food there's supposed to be amazing.)

Thank you until the end, dear readers. Thanks for all the support and loving words and for waiting 900 years for me to finish this epilogue. It's kind of sappy to say but you've all helped me really develop as a writer these past few years. I'm really grateful for each and every one of you reading these words on your screens and I hope I'll be able to reach all of you in future works.


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